Trying To Get Pregnant? Find Out The 5 Essential Health Rules For Fertility!

Over the past few weeks and months I seem to be getting more and more emails from women asking me what they should be doing to increase their chances of conceiving. Whilst this may seeem like a huge and complicated subject to tackle in one article, there are some very basic but essential rules to follow if you are trying to condition your body for pregnancy.

1. Nutrition

How well your body performs is largely dependant upon the quality of the fuel you put in it. Every food you eat has a different nutritional value. For example something like a processed burger that is packed with preservatives, artificial flavourings and bulked out with wheat flour or soy will do little to provide you with the essential nutrients you need for your organs and tissues to perform their jobs properly.

However, a quality cut of organic and grass fed meat will be jam-packed with immediately useable nutrients that your body will thrive on.

Therefore it makes sense that if you choose to eat from wholesome, fresh foods that are as close to their natural state as possible, then you will providing your reproductive system with everything it needs to do its job properly.

So rule number 1 is eat ONLY from wholesome nutritionally supportive foods that are as close to their natural state as possible.

2. Hydration

This is a hugely important element when it comes to preparing your body for pregnancy and never seems to be given the emphasis it deserves.

Water is vital for creating a fertile environment. Your reproductive system is made up of organs, tissues and ligaments which need to be properly hydrated to function properly. Just 2% dehydration will make your reproductive system 25% weaker.

So rule number 2 is to drink a minimum of 1 litre of water per 50lbs of body weight, (more if exercising or in hot or humid conditions).

3. Exercise

I won't beat around the bush here, if you are fat, your muscles are soft and weak and you get out of breath just climbing the stairs then it's little wonder you are struggling to get pregnant. Fat deposits around the reproductive organs and pollutes the tissues and vessels, massively reducing the efficiency and performance of the reproductive system.

Not only that but fat affects the oestrogen balance in women. Around 30% of oestrogen comes from fat so if you are carrying too much body fat your hormones will be thrown out of balance, reducing your chances of conception.

Rule number 3? Exercise daily for 10-15 minutes focussing on resistance work and high intensity interval training to get your body into a condition where conception is viable.

4. Sleep

Between 10pm and 6am your body goes through massive tissue repair and regeneration. It is also during these hours that your hormones balance and regulate. Your body needs to get into a regular cycle of sleep to achieve the optimal hormone balance that is neccesary for a succesful conception and healthy pregnancy.

These days it is not unusual for the majority of people to get very little sleep during the week due to long working hours and 24/7 social lives and then try and catch up through "binge sleeping" at the weekend. Unfortunately this just isn't how our bodies work and we need to establish a regular circadian rythym for our bodies to function properly, so rule number 4 is get to bed by 10:30pm on at least 6 nights out of 7, every week.

5. Relax and Destress

Stress hormones put the body into a permanent state of fight or flight. When the body is in this fight or flight state it simply does not allow anything else to happen that may impair or weaken theimmune system - such as getting pregnant.

So you need to take an objective look at all areas of your life and try and get find solutions to any situations that are causing you large amounts of stress.

Rule number 5 - spend 15 minutes every evening taking time to destress and relax before bed. If there is anything that you can't get off your mind then take some time to think of solutions to your problem, or steps that you can take to get the situation moving. Just taking action, no matter how small will make you feel better about the situation straight away.

These 5 steps may seem like simple solutions to a huge and complicated problem, but it is often the simple things that we overlook that make the biggest difference to our lives. Our bodies are complex cybernetic organisms made up of several subsystems that act interdependantly to enable us to function properly.

When you are trying to get pregnant, a holistic approach to health is the only way to ensure that your body is able to perform at its peak and to ensure that you are creating a fertile environment where you can conceive and nurture a healthy, happy baby.

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