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When it comes to your sex drive and how raunchy you feel in the bedroom, a big contributing factor is your testosterone levels.


For most of us, an unusual dip in testosterone can mean your sex drive takes a big hit too – and we aren’t about to let that happen, especially coming in to winter! So lucky for you, we spoke to Lloyd Jones, qualified personal trainer and fat-loss expert, on what you can do to keep those testosterone levels up so you can keep yourself and/or your partner up too!

Include zinc in your diet

Zinc is that one mineral that you only hear about in those boring multivitamin ads and never think about ever again. But believe me – it’s very important to your bedroom performance so read carefully. Take notes if you need.

Studies have shown that a low zinc diet can cause your testosterone levels to dip by more than half, and that a boost in zinc for older guys already deficient in zinc can bring their testosterone back up to normal levels. So, its safe to say that if you’ve got a zinc-deficient diet, then there’s a pretty damn good chance it’s messing with your testosterone.

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But here’s the kicker adding zinc to your diet will only boost your testosterone levels if you’re already deficient in zinc. Unfortunately, going above your normal zinc levels won’t turn you into a testosterone-pumping sex God, so please don’t go trying that.

But how do you know if you’ve got a zinc deficient diet? Well the three biggest sources of zinc (in order) are oysters, beef and other meat products. Which means if you’re vegetarian or just not a big meat eater and you’ve not really been feeling it in the bedroom lately – then you might want to consider a zinc supplement and see how your sex drive turns out after a couple weeks. I make no promises but I’m pretty damn confident on this one.

Keep an eye on the scales

Don’t get me wrong, food plus sex can be a winning combo. But believe it or not, your weight is probably one of the biggest contributors to a healthy (or unhealthy) sex drive. The evidence here is pretty damn clear. The heavier you are and the more fat you’re carrying, the less testosterone you’re body produces (and the higher the chance that you’ll be pretty unsatisfied with your sex life!) Now I don’t want that for you, and you don’t want that for yourself, so keep reading.

A study published in the British Journal of Urology in 2004 found that regardless of how old you are, every unit increase in your BMI will decrease your testosterone levels by about 2.5%. To break it down, that means if you’re 1.8 metres tall and you have a particularly awesome holiday, paired with a diet of mojitos and pizza, and go from 80kgs to 90kgs, that’s a 3 unit increase in BMI. This means your testosterone levels could have just dropped by 7-8%. Which doesn’t sound like much, but it’s about the equivalent testosterone drop that comes from ageing 5-7 years!

So the bottom line is, if you’re overweight and not feeling like your normal, frisky self in the bedroom, then it’s a good idea to start slimming down. Exercise before sexercise people! Not only will you start to look better, but you will feel better. Before you know it, you’ll transform yourself from a tame bedroom dweller, to a monster between the sheets!

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