The online world is brimming with articles and tips when it comes to being active during pregnancy and specific ways to adapt your lifestyle in order to stay active during that nine-month journey. As for women who are trying to conceive, there’s a little less information to rely on, especially regarding exercise and physical activity in general.
So, let’s talk fitness during the time you’re trying to get pregnant, and how you can maximize your chances by adjusting your daily habits!
Your ideal stress-relief
Unless you’re an athlete preparing for a grueling competition, chances are that your workouts serve as a healthy vent and a way to detox from everyday stress. Why does this matter for your pregnancy? Well, it turns out that stress might be one of the key culprits in preventing your body from getting in the right mood to get pregnant, so to speak. Stress causes a range of negative behaviors, from emotional eating, drinking alcohol, smoking, all the way to sleepless nights, all of which can hinder your ability to conceive.
Enjoying regular healthy habits, such as working out, helps flush out those stress hormones, also known as cortisol, and provide you with a surge of happy hormones such as dopamine. It balances your circadian rhythm, getting you tired enough to sleep well, and it helps you become more mindful and present in the given moment, especially if you practice yoga.
Workouts turn back your biological clock
From a woman’s perspective especially, age plays a vital role in your ability to get pregnant. The younger you are, your chances of natural conception are greater, while in time, your level of fertility will naturally decrease. However, while you cannot literally turn back the clock, your lifestyle habits play a vital role in how quickly and how well your body ages – and exercise seems to play a relevant part in this equation, too.
Studies have shown that consistent, dedicated workouts help slow down the aging process, effectively shaving off years of your biological clock. Exercise affects your body on a cellular level, allowing you to preserve not just your muscle mass and bone density, but also diminish the effect aging has on your body. So, even though you can’t do anything about your birth certificate, you can use exercise to keep your body young and vibrant for years to come!
One healthy habit inspires more to come
Once you truly instill this single healthy habit into your mindset and embrace it as a part of your routine, you will naturally want to reinforce it with other good behaviors. For example, people who workout are more likely to stick to a healthy diet, and eating well is yet another relevant factor that ties into your efforts to conceive.
A recent study pointed to a link between eating fruits with conceiving sooner, compared to women who consumed fast food and refused to eat enough fruits whose pregnancy was delayed by an entire month. So, if you’re having a hard time staying away from those burgers and candy, then perhaps if you stay true to your fitness routine, your desire to improve your eating will naturally follow suit. Regular workouts are taxing on your body, so you’ll crave more healthy ingredients in your diet in order to be able to produce long-lasting energy to meet your goals!
A boost in your sleep quality
We’ve already mentioned that stress can mess with your sleeping patterns, while regular workouts can help you get back on track with your shut-eye needs. A future mom needs to focus on finding the perfect balance between sleeping too little and too much, as any extreme can lower your chances of conception. This is where sticking to a consistent workout schedule helps your body regulate your circadian rhythm, balances your energy levels, and improves your sleep.
To maximize the effectiveness of your exercise routine, make sure to create a relaxing bedtime ritual to help your mind and body unwind. For example, you should do your best to work out earlier in the day and not immediately before bed, limit your screen time in the several hours before bed, so you can replace exploring Facebook with listening to music, reading a book, or meditation. Paired with working out, this can help keep your energy balanced and provide your mind and body with ample rest needed for healthy, natural conception.
Greater resilience
A healthy diet paired with physical activity improves your immune system and helps you stay healthy even during those particularly sensitive times of the year. Although a cold or a fever cannot really prevent you from getting pregnant, a weak immune system can negatively impact your libido, so you might find yourself struggling to build up your desire to have sex.
Add to that, certain medications such as aspirin or ibuprofen can affect your ability to conceive since they can have an impact on your ovulation. So, long-term benefits of exercise such as staying resilient and elevating your libido will indirectly help your cause.
The key, however, is to be mindful of your body’s needs and abilities. If you’re new to working out, you should consult your doctor before you randomly select a workout plan, to make sure your body will have time to adapt. Then again, being a fitness freak may lead you to overestimate your abilities and push yourself too hard – which can also be counterproductive for your desired pregnancy.
Much like with everything else in life, it’s vital to stick to moderation, and always talk to your physician before and during your conception journey. This is a sensitive time for your body, and exercise can help you achieve your goal, but only when you use it wisely and with care.
Guest post by Sophia Smith
What are your favorite tips for staying active while trying to conceive?
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