I get asked a lot by readers “Where do I start? What should I do first?” So I thought you may be thinking the same and am going to answer this very important question today.
When it comes to boosting your fertility naturally, one of the most important things to do is build a healthy foundation which the rest of your program can work upon. A health foundation consists of Nutrition, Movement, and Balance.
Nutrition
Nutrition is a very important component to a natural fertility program. Nutrition plays a role in hormonal balance, creating and building healthy cells and eggs, supplying the body with important nutrients to combat free radicals and DNA mutation, reducing the effects of stress on the body, creating healthy blood, and so much more. Nutrition is basically supplying your body with the building blocks for healthy fertility and a healthy baby. What you eat will be building your baby.
So, to begin to build a healthy nutritional foundation, you may need to make some changes to your diet. Some of these changes are going to be big, and others simple. I have created a free guide to the Natural Fertility Diet which you can read and get all the details on creating a wonderful fertility and pre-conception food plan. But here are the 5 first steps you can take today:
1. Eat one big salad a day. Make a large, colorful salad every day. Have fun with it; add nuts, cranberries, goat cheese, walnuts, kale, whatever you are craving at the moment. Just make sure it has greens in it.
2. Drink one fertility smoothie a day with fertility superfoods in it. To make it simple you may want to start with the 10-Day Fertility Smoothie Challenge.
3. Eat organic. This one step will help to cut out excess hormones from your diet. Chemicals and added hormones found in meats and dairy are a major cause of hormonal imbalance. Produce should be organic as well because pesticides/herbicides/etc. mimic estrogen in the body.
4. Take a whole food multivitamin. This helps to make sure you are getting all of the necessary nutrients that are necessary for healthy fertility (folic, iron, vitamin C…). Think of it as insurance for your diet. A study from Harvard Medical school involving 18,000 women has shown that taking multivitamins, particularly folic acid, can improve chances of pregnancy…
5. Get Essential Fatty Acids in your diet daily. Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs) are important in overall health. EFAs are necessary for proper endocrine function, heart function, and brain function; they also reduce inflammation and so much more. Make sure to get these in your diet every day.
Movement
I call this part of the foundation movement because it is about moving your body and getting fresh oxygenated blood to your uterus, eggs, heart, liver, etc. The important movements for a great fertility program are:
1. Exercise daily – Exercise is so fantastic for your general health. It helps to reduce stress, clear out toxins, promote a healthy weight, burn fat, and increases circulation to the entire body. Exercise also helps to re-oxygenate the blood, allowing the body to get more oxygen and heal faster, function better.
2. Massage – Massage is another aspect of movement that is important for detoxification and increasing circulation to the uterus, ovaries, and eggs. Self Fertility Massage is an easy way to do this one.
3. Stretching or Yoga- Yoga is so beneficial as it helps to relax the body and will stretch muscles and limbs, which helps to bring fresh blood to all the extremities as well as reduce stress and balance the hormones through relaxation. An easy to follow fertility yoga program can be found here…
4. Increase your circulation – There are different ways to increase circulation to the uterus. Some quick and effective ones are to take hot baths, do castor oil packs on the lower abdomen, and move around through yoga or exercise. Circulation can be compromised to the uterus as it shares the same blood flow as your legs. When we are stressed or sitting a lot, the circulation to the uterus can become compromised. Focusing on various ways of bringing fresh, oxygenated blood to your uterus is key.
Balance
Balance is an important part of building a healthy fertility foundation in more ways than one. For conception to occur there has to be the correct balance between hormones at specific times. So a healthy endocrine system is important to hormonal balance.
There also needs to be a balance in life. A balance between stress and peace, sleep and wake, and even your “time for yourself” and your “time you give to others” should be balanced. Here are 5 easy steps to bring more balance into your life both hormonally and mentally…
1. Take 5 minutes a day to be in silence. Clearing the mind and relaxing is a powerful way to help reduce stress and bring balance to a busy day.
2. Support and cleanse the liver for hormonal balance. This is one of the important phases of the Fertility Cleanse. The liver is responsible for clearing out excess hormones and toxins. By supporting the liver with nourishing herbs, it is able to do its job better. The reduction of excess hormones floating around helps the hormonal system to stay/become more balanced. Everybody’s liver can use some support. 🙂
3. Nourish your endocrine system. The Natural Fertility Diet as well as fertility superfoods (such as Maca) can help to nourish and support the endocrine system. This system is affected not only by the stress in our daily lives but also the toxins in the environment. Using herbs and foods to nourish and support this system will help so it can function at its best and will keep the hormonal orchestra balanced and flowing smoothly.
4. Do something fun each week. Make sure to have fun and enjoy your life! Go to dance classes, make art, go on a date with your hubby… Whatever it is have fun and don’t be so serious all the time.
5. Give. Give something of yourself to others. Whether it be a smile, a complement, a donation, or your time. Give of yourself and you will be happy. This can bring balance to your life that you have never expected.
