The Dashing Chronicles: Dirk Nation on the Question, Are Men Getting Softer?
- Winston McLean | July 03, 2014
My last column ended with the question, should Dirk share the wisdom and wizardry of Dirk Nation so that more men can reclaim their confidence and swagger, and re-ignite the passion in their lives?
A daft question. Of course the answer is a deep, "You damn right!"
We start with a problem that way too many men have today. It's a problem that secretly drives our women bat poo crazy, and is making our lives needlessly miserable.
That problem is estrogen. Guys nowadays have too much of it - between 15 to 50% more of it in our systems than did our ancestors, and our testosterone levels are dropping.
The result? Pudgy, feminized shadows of our former selves, complete with man boobs - also known as moobs. It ain't attractive. Sex drives drop, and the quality of our Johnson's? Not impressive.
Women need us to be men. To take the lead. To initiate. To stand. To serve, but from a core of masculinity - not from a place of sniveling, people pleasing, weakness. And ready to rise to the occasion and deliver his woman to the promised land - every time.
One of the members of Dirk Nation - let's call him Jack - had this problem. Devoted to his wife, he was by all accounts a devoted 30-year-old husband and father, and a damn good provider. When she left him he was devastated.
In gathering up the pieces of his shattered life one of his first stops was to his doctor. He wanted to get back in dating shape, and he wanted to do it smart, and he wanted results fast.
His complete physical exam included tests of his testosterone and estrogen levels. The doctor informed Jack that he had the man-juice of a raging kitten.
That news brought into sharp focus the number of ways his life quietly slipped into dullness.
His first priority? Bring Johnson back to teenage performance levels!
One of his first moves was to bring the issue to the Dirk Nation Board of Directors. He was shocked. Even the Dirkster once had this problem. And so did other members of the Board.
Turns out, from the age of 25 all men lose testosterone at 1 or 2 percent a year. That gradual loss is made worse when diet, exercise and environmental factors are figured in. Men in their late 20's or early 30's are having this problem.
Because we are givers, Dirk Nation gave Jack all the information and tips we could, the first being to cart his arse to his doctor before using any of our amazing strategies.
He did so.
Now before we get into this hard topic, it should be noted that at his first visit Jack's doctor told him that his T levels were "normal" - in the mid-200 range.
After talking with his comrades in Dirk Nation Jack discovered that T levels in the mid-200 area was actually a "low" normal, especially when you consider the top end of the scale ends at about 1,200.
So perhaps Jack's doctor meant that Jack was just as messed up as your average man - low levels of desire, low energy, somewhat moody, "mooby" too, girlie-man-it is, etc.
On his second visit to the doctor, Jack asked what would be a great if not fantasticular level for his testosterone. He also asked what level his estrogen levels should be. With these numbers in hand - so to speak - Jack developed a plan, with his doctor.
He tackled his kitchen first.
Gone were the foods that promoted estrogen. Anything with soy, flour, sugar, salt, yeast and milk was gone. There were tears when he tossed out his mother's bannock. Also, if it came in a can or a box he would always think twice and usually opt to ditch it.
He replaced those estrogen builders with broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage, fruits, and almond milk. And because he learned that men on low fat diets have low testosterone levels he got to eat bacon, eggs, steak, fish and chicken. He also went hard on man salads - salads with meat.
He got a few supplements - Zinc and Magnesium were part of his new routine.
Next, he cleared out his living quarters. He learned that in his environment there were these things that were lethal to his testosterone levels called xeno-estrogens - pronounced "zee-no-estro-genz." Here's where things got complicated.
Xenoestrogens imitate estrogen in the body. That crap is EVERYWHERE! Some everyday grooming and household products have what are called "parabins," "sulfates," "phthalates." We're talking plastics, shampoos, cows, deodorants, lotions, soaps, cleaning products, and pesticides.
Jack is not a hermit. While he couldn't avoid everything, he cut down on his exposure.
He stored his foods in glassware and never reheated food in plastic containers. He ate organic whenever possible, because so much food is sprayed with pesticides - good bye fast foods.
The other thing Jack did was to reduce his stress levels. Turns out, stress is a contributor to men carrying extra lard around the waist. That lard is toxic. Meditation and breathing exercises were a new part of Jack's routine. That and getting 8 hours sleep.
Of course, Jack hit the gym. He hired a trainer, and explained exactly what his goals were: to rebuild his muscles, lose fat, and have great endurance. For the first couple of weeks Jack left a pool of sweat wherever he went in the gym, but he didn't give a damn what other people thought.
So he hit the gym twice a week, and made sure to walk for 20 minutes each day. An added blessing was he encountered plenty of fabulous looking women on those walks.
There were several other steps Jack took to improve his condition, and many of them are not fit for print in a family friendly newspaper.
The payoff?
The muscle he grew rebuilt his testosterone levels. He lost fat - 20 pounds of lard vanished in 2 months alone. His stress levels were almost all gone. And he was meeting women.
Jack assumed his personal transformation would take weeks, maybe months. But within a few days, he noticed he was moving through life with more confidence.
After a few more weeks Jack reported that he regained his focus. He remembered some of his earlier passions and hobbies. He took up pursuit of his old dreams. There was steam in his stride.
Even his mornings were different. It used to be his brain would wake first, as if saying "Awe, man, five more minutes." His body would wake next, feeling like "Damn, half an hour more sleep." Now it's like, "Hell, yeah, let's do this thing!"
Johnson is awake even before his brain and body, shouting like he's from that movie 300, "THIS IS SPARTA!"
You damn right, Jack is moving through his world like a man with a mission. Chicks dig him.
Dirk says, There is no angry way to say "bubbles."