MAN BOOBS! HOW YOU GET THEM AND HOW TO GET RID OF THEM!

Man and boobs!  These two words seem like a natural fit unless you are a man with boobs! It’s a very common condition and afflicts males across all age groups, hell I suffered from this affliction for a time in my 20’s , so if you’ve got man boobs don’t be ashamed brother, I’ve been there and survived it.

Read this post carefully and I assure you that in the not too distant future you too will be a “Man Boob” survivor!

                                                                                                                                                                       

WHAT ARE MAN BOOBS?

Ideally your chest should be nothing but rock hard muscle, but statistics have shown that at least 30% of males will develop man boobs in their lifetime.  Technically called gynecomastia, they are excess fat deposits in the male pectoral region (chest!) Man boobs can afflict a man at any age from puberty, while it is uncomfortable to have man boobs, they do not put your life in any danger. Psychologically though, man boobs are another matter entirely.

Men with gynecomastia are more likely to suffer from anxiety and stress issues, panic attacks and social phobias. They feel ashamed and embarrassed and feel they are lacking in masculinity and while men with this condition are generally overweight, they still feel ashamed of the fat in their chest region. Man boobs can stem from overall obesity or from a hormonal imbalance in some men, which lead to estrogen levels going up and testosterone levels going down. That is, the female hormones dominate the male leading to the growth of man boobs. This hormone imbalance could be triggered by; radiation, chemotherapy, toxin exposure, alcoholism, drug abuse, genetic etc.

HOW TO GET RID OF MAN BOOBS

The good news is that you can get rid of man boobs and feel healthy and confident. Below are some tips for getting rid of them:

·         Exercise:

Watching your diet and exercising  are enough to treat mild to moderate cases of man boobs as all that is required in these cases is a loss of body fat to treat the situation, you should focus on weight training workouts to help build muscle and burn fat faster.

·         Check Your Medication:

Man boobs can arise as a result of medication being taken. Opioids, anti-depressants, amphetamines and even good old marijuana can mess with your hormones and cause man boobs.

·         No Steroids:

This is very common with hard core athletes and bodybuilders who take anabolic steroids to bulk up. Man boobs is an unwanted side effect of steroid abuse, and will require surgery to fix.

·         Eat Right:

While it is a myth that eating soy will increase estrogen and make your boobs pop out, food can contribute to fat storage and scatter your hormonal balance enough to be a problem. Cut out processed foods as much as possible, eliminate bad fats and sugar and consume more healthy fats like Omega 3 from avocado and olive oil for example.

·         Reduce the Use of Plastics:

Plastics contain BPA and these are chemicals that can contribute to gynecomastia, a study found that exposure to bisphenol-A (BpA) like that found in canned foods and plastics can promote abnormal breast growth in boys and adult men. One of the worst culprits is plastic water bottles, and we drink from these every day! Even BPA- free plastics can still contain other harmful chemicals. To be safe, its best to switch to stainless steel flasks.

·         Sleep More:

This is not an invitation to laze in bed! However research has shown that getting a solid 8 hours        of sleep goes a long way in maintaining healthy hormone production. The less you sleep at night, the less testosterone your body is able to produce. Also less sleep is linked to a higher risk of obesity which is also a risk factor for Man boobs.