Rationale

I'm not in very good health. I'm not in bad health, I'm just not in good health. I'm 34, overweight, have no energy, lead a completely sedentary life, and just don't feel all that healthy.

After getting struck by lightning last year, I had a full workup of tests done on my overall health. They confirmed what I pretty much already knew: I could stand to be more healthy. The specifics, however, are kind of interesting.

Right after the lightning, my heart checked out fine with an EKG, but bloodwork revealed an elevated liver enzyme (ALT). Followup bloodwork ruled out things like hepatitis, so the probable cause is fatty infiltration of the liver, where fat cells somehow get into the liver and keep it from functioning right. Probable cause of the fatty infiltration: being a fat slob. I'm not on the brink of liver failure just yet, but the doctor said we'd keep an eye on it and address it if it gets worse.

I've got elevated cholesterol and triglyceride levels. They're not sky-high, but they're just a little past the threshold at which you start calling them high.

I've got high blood pressure. Again, it's not on-the-brink-of-stroke high, but right on the border between "needs medicine" and "doesn't need medicine".

One of the most interesting things to me is my testosterone level (or lack thereof). Years ago, I read a pamphlet in my doctor's office about low testosterone and the symptoms and treatment and thought "wow, it's like they're reading my mind". I matched up with most of the symptoms (depression, irritability, chronic fatigue, inability to concentrate, etc.), but didn't think to actually ask the doctor about, since the pamphlet was addressed mainly to old men. This time, since they were doing all the bloodwork anyway, I asked the doctor to go ahead and try testing the testosterone levels.

Surprise, surprise. It came back pretty low. It was not totally off the charts low. It was down at the very bottom of the reference range in the lab report. However, that reference range isn't based on a doctor's clinical assessment of what your level should be. It's just statistics. It represents something like the middle 80% of all the samples the lab takes without normalizing for age or anything like that. Most people getting their testosterone level tested would probably be older than I am, and testosterone levels fall as people age anyway. So, the reference range gets really skewed. If you take this into account, and compare my level against what a 34 year old male would normally have, my level's really low.

This makes sense to me, since I have just about all of the symptoms. I'm just exhausted all the time. I can't focus on what I'm doing all the time. I don't watch The View or anything, but I assume that's coming next. It's not clear why my level is low. The other hormones in my body are more or less normal, and any of them that were out of whack were investigated thoroughly before ruling out all expected causes.

I tried using testosterone gel for 6 weeks, and did see a noticeable improvement, both in my lab results and my well-being. The problem with that as a long term solution is that it's expensive, messy, and has side effects like eventually rendering you sterile. That would be totally worth it if it was necessary for me to have a better life, but I'm trying to explore my other options first.

Exercise is shown to increase testosterone production, and it's possible that my distinct lack of exercise is in some part responsible for my low levels. So, before I resign myself to a lifetime of sticky backs and sterility, I have to determine whether it's possible to raise my levels up by myself.

So, I've committed myself to a good solid 8 weeks of exercise, comparing my testosterone levels before, during, and after. If I raise my levels, and I feel better, then I know I pretty much have to keep that up the rest of my life to feel okay. If that doesn't seem to make the difference I'm looking for, then I know I'll have to commit to the artificial stuff.