It’s a simple fact of life that we produce less testosterone as we age. The average man loses 1% of their testosterone every year after they turn 30. Did you know that meditation can help boost testosterone and muscle growth? Meditation may even be a better option than a lot of the testosterone boosting products on the market.
Of course a good meal plan and workout will also help.
Read on to discover how meditation will make a fundamental difference to your muscle building goals.
What Is Meditation?
We will tell you the six steps to meditation in just a moment. But first there a few things we need to clarify. In modern terms meditation is often referred to as “mindfulness”. This is an attempt to bring the image away from the stereotypes surrounding meditation.
In fact meditation is simply an opportunity for you to focus on yourself, shutting out the rest of the world and allowing your mind to become calm.
This can be of great benefit in the modern world. Too often your life will feel hectic; there are too many things to do and not enough time to complete them all. The result is a feeling of being overwhelmed.
Meditation allows you to calm your mind and deal with one issue at a time. In fact Arnold Schwarzenegger used meditation in the 70’s to cope with anxiety brought on by his growing fame.
How Meditation Can Decrease Stress
We need to understand how low stress levels are important to muscle building goals.
Research shows that high stress levels impact the following:
- Slows down recovery time after a workout.
Your body produces cortisol when it is stressed. This prevents the operation of many normal processes in the body; effectively preventing efficient muscle repair which is essential for muscle growth.
- Encourages the accumulation of fat.
When cortisol is released the body is getting ready to fight or run away. As a survival response, the body will suspend non-essential processes and begin to store fat.
- Encourages inflammation.
When levels of of cortisol are high, the body is not able to deal with inflammation as efficiently. This will increase your stiffness after a workout.
Combined together these factors will make it difficult to add muscle or even stick to your daily 24-minute workout or your beginner workout routine.
The answer is to reduce your stress levels and allow you body to function normally.
Just 5 minutes of following the steps to meditation can help you to achieve this! You will actually feel more energized after you meditate.
Meditation And Muscle Growth
Meditation can do more than just decrease your stress and improve the balance of your body. It can actually help you to build muscle!
Meditation involves focusing on just one item to create a greater awareness of the world round you. By focusing on just your current lift you will put more effort into each bicep curl or squat. In fact, you’ll actually lift more and push harder!
The result is your muscles will grow faster. All you need to do is meditate and focus on the muscle you are working!
Other Effects Of Meditation
Meditation has also been shown to do the following:
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- Improves sleep
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- Improves mood and reduces the risk of depression
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- Boosts memory
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- Increases the capabilities of the immune system
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- Reduces the likelihood of addiction
The Six Steps to Meditation
Meditation is a personal matter; you will learn to do it in the way that suits you best. However, there are a few fundamental rules you need to follow to get the best results:
STEP #1 – Sit Correctly
You don’t need to sit cross legged or on the floor. You can choose a comfortable chair or a cushion. The important factor is that you are comfortable. You don’t want to be thinking about your leg cramp while meditating!
It is best not to rest your back on a chair as this might make you too comfortable and encourage sleep!
STEP #2 – Get a Timer
You can meditate for 5 minutes or 30. But, you’ll need to know when your time is up without constantly checking your phone or watch.
The timer on your cell phone or anything similar will enable you to set an alarm that will tell you your time is up.
You should choose a gentle alarm not one that will make you jump!
STEP #3 – Get Comfortable
Ideally you should sit with your eyes closed and your head slightly forward. This opens your chest allowing you to take deep breathes.
The idea is to be comfortable to enough to remain motionless, but not comfortable enough to go to sleep.
It may help to keep your back straight at all times.
Eventually, meditation can be done in any position. Consider the steps to meditation as practice for real life meditating. The position of your body is not as important as the practice of meditating.
STEP #4 – Focus On Breathing
You now need to focus on your breathing and nothing else. It is best to close your mouth and breathe in and out through your nose. Focus on the movement of the air as you do so.
You don’t need to analyze your breathing, simply stay focused on it.
STEP #5 – Correct Your Wandering Mind
There is no doubt that your mind will wander from time to time. When it does simply refocus it on the task in hand; your breathing. This is the most important step to meditation. Mindfulness, control, and clarity are the entire purpose.
STEP #6 – Repeat
The key to meditating is in not trying to overdo it. Ideally you should do between 5 minutes and 30 minutes every day. This is much better than an hour or two in one go once a week.
Keeping it short will allow you to maintain your meditation schedule and gain the benefits of meditation on a daily basis.
Should you struggle to remain focused on your breathing you might find it beneficial to count your breath; once you have got to 10, start again.
You should also note that your mind is most likely to wander when you are breathing out; this is a virtually silent motion. Being aware of this can help you to prevent it from happening.
If your mind does wander then don’t panic! Just refocus and carry on.
Summing It Up
Learning the art of meditation will help you to deal with any issue in your life. By following the steps to meditation, you’ll be able to view each problem separately and take the appropriate steps to rectify it.
It will also help you to boost your muscle size as you will be focused on your muscle more; allowing you to work it harder. In addition your body will be working properly and your hormones balanced. This will help to ensure you have all the right ingredients and processes for muscle repair and growth.
With a little effort and practice you’ll soon be following the steps to meditation daily and experiencing the positive results in all areas of your life. Meditation can help productivity at home and work as well as building your muscles.
Your new friend & health coach,
Stuart Carter
Head Training Staff, The Fit Father Project
Brotherhood Nickname: “The Fit Brit”
Bragging Rights: 16 Years in the fitness industry, Author of ‘The Easy Fitness Guide', Father of 4 boys and Husband to a Venezuelan beauty.
I’d recommend you read the program overview letter for our Fit Father 30-Day Program (FF30X). Inside FF30X, you'll receive:
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*Please know that weight loss results & health changes/improvements vary from individual to individual; you may not achieve similar results. Always consult with your doctor before making health decisions. This is not medical advice – simply very well-researched info on conditioning workouts.
