1.Drink filtered water and add minerals

2.Eat whole foods, not processed foods

3.Expose your skin and eyes to the sun

4.Practice good sleep hygiene

5. Incorporate basic strength training

Drink filtered water and add minerals

Water is one of THE most important things in our lives.  A large amount of our bodies are made of water.  We all drink it, bathe in it, clean our dishes, vegetables, fruits, laundry, and more. 

Unfortunately, there are many toxic things  in our tap water that could be one factor playing into poor health (heavy metals, drugs, and other pollutants).  I won’t go into too much detail as to what is in the water supply in this post, but if you are trying to clean up your lifestyle and make your body as healthy as possible for yourself and for your potential children, I would start with your water.

If you haven’t already been drinking out of a filtered water system, then I would INVEST in one asap.  Before I even thought about becoming pregnant I started using countertop filtration products .  Once I found out I was pregnant, I immediately invested in a higher quality countertop filtration system that isn’t too expensive, filters great, and doesn’t take up too much space.  It is called AQUA TRU.

Make sure if you are using a filtered water system that you add minerals back into your water.  Most high quality systems filter everything out which includes those important minerals that help keep you hydrated. I add a couple drops of mineral drops (my favorite brand is Trace Minerals) to my travel water bottle or just to my glass of water at home.  You can always bring those drops with you to add to water at a restaurant or wherever you are traveling to.  Another great way to add back minerals into your water is by adding a dash of mineral salt (my favorite brand is Real Salt).

Eat Whole Foods, not processed foods

I would suggest prioritizing high quality protein, especially if you are a female, most females I know or have worked with do not come close to the daily amount of protein needed just for maintenance of the body.  A good way to remember how much protein to maintain lean body mass is 1g per 1 lb of lean body mass. 

For example, if you weigh 130lbs you want to aim to get 130 grams of protein throughout your day.  If you are vegan or vegetarian this is where it could get tricky due to the higher caloric foods in that way of eating.  It will take way more to get the amount of protein through plants therefore will increase the amount of calories. 

Make sure you eat at least 1  serving of fruits and veggies daily. Try to pick a variety of colors.   A helpful way for me to make sure I get the best quality fruits and veggies is to go to local farmers markets or find an organic local produce pick-up or delivery service if possible.  That can help get you the highest quality and in season items. 

I also make sure I eat a high energy source carbohydrate daily.  My go to is either oatmeal, jasmine rice with ghee, or homemade black or pinto beans.  I also make sure to get my healthy fats in daily.  I make sure to get at least one handful of nuts or seeds a day, two tablespoons of coconut oil, one tablespoon of ghee (normally when I make my eggs) and a tablespoon of olive oil raw (I don’t cook with olive oil). 

My best advice for eliminating ultra-processed and inflammatory foods is to be able to identify them. If they don’t look like nature provided them, then your best bet is not to consume them. Here’s an image of examples of ultra-processed and inflammatory food items to eliminate asap. 

Expose your skin and eyes to the sun

Expose the skin and eyes to the sun. You don’t need to look directly at the sun, but let the natural light get into those beautiful eyes. If you’re worried about getting burned, you can wear a sunscreen, but I would try to find the healthiest you can. Here’s a link to a healthier sunscreen. To avoid burning, try to not spend long hours in the hottest parts of the day, normally between 12-2pm and make sure you’re eating plenty of antioxidant rich foods that can naturally help protect you from the sun. If you’re going out for a long day at the beach or hike, I will drink a cup of green tea or matcha green tea a few hours prior. 

Vitamin d is so important for fertility and throughout pregnancy for men and women. It can help support the quality of sperm and can influence sufficient amounts of vitamin d and calcium in fetus and infant therefore helping protect skeletal muscle and stronger bones.

Overall, it can enhance the health of mother and child.Another big reason to get outside is to help counteract all the artificial light that many of us experience daily. The artificial light can cause damage to the eyes and negatively impact sleep. The natural light can help keep your eyes healthy and improve your circadian rhythm.

Here are links to a healthier sunscreens.

Baby/Kid/Family friendly

Face sunscreen – Tinted & Un-tinted

Spray sunscreen

Practice good sleep hygiene

Sun exposure and sleep go hand-in-hand. To help your circadian rhythm, try to get outside 3 times a day for at least 10 minutes each time to get the natural light in the eyes. Upon waking, I would try to get outside for at least 10 minutes before 10:00am. Do this without sunglasses or contacts. You don’t need to stare at the sun, but allow natural like to reach the eyes, even if it’s a cloudy or rainy day, get out there.  Then get out around 12-1 pm and to watch the sunset or at dusk for 10 minutes.  This will be one factor that will help contribute to a good night of quality sleep.

Sleep is when your body can rest, repair and build. You will want to get at least 7-9 hours of high quality sleep and turn off electronics 30-60 minutes prior to getting into bed. I like to do light static stretching before getting into bed and then read a book, listen to a book and/or take 10 deep breaths while in bed and do a YouTube meditation for deep sleep. 

Incorporate basic strength training

Basic strength training can be one of the best things you can prioritize when it comes to exercise. I would suggest to start small and not overwhelm yourself with too many movements and recommend starting with 2 – 3 times a week. There are many ways to incorporate strength and sometimes strength can merge with endurance, hypertrophy, and/or maintenance.

A basic strength training session that is safe and effective is what I consider “Strength Endurance.” You can include 2-6 movements in one day or pick two movements per day. If you are just starting out, pick two movements on day 1, day 2, and day 3.

The sets will depend on your current fitness level or energy level, but first you need to warmup. There are many ways to warmup up. The easiest way to increase blood flow will be to do 2-5 mins of light cardio. It can be on a treadmill, bike, rower or whatever else you prefer. When strengthening, it is easiest to remember that you are working to strengthen a MOVEMENT rather than MUSCLES.

Pick a movement that feels good or you want to improve on. My go to movements are bent over row, squats, deadlifts, split squats, bench press. Not all movements require traditional equipment, some movements can be done with various tools. They can be done with dumbbells, kettlebells, barbells, bands and bodyweight.

Your training session may look like this…

Warmup: 2-5 mins light cardio

Pick 2 movements to work on daily and perform for 3 to 5 sets with a break of 45-60 second. While you break you can work on a core movement if you feel you have energy or need to work on it. A example you be a normal elbow plank for 30-60 seconds.

Example: day 1 

Bent over row – 8 to 12 reps each arm

Gobblet squat – 8 to 12 reps

Rest 1 minute and/or elbow plank (optional) 30-60 seconds

Then repeat again starting with bent over row. For the 8-12 reps, be sure to pick a weight that challenges you enough so that by your last rep, you can barely do it.  And for your first set, start a little lighter and try to increase weight a little each set.  

Benefits can lead to increase in strength, body fat reduction (to help maintain a healthy body percentage), improve cardiovascular health, regulate insulin, increase bone density, reduce chance of joint pain and injury, improve sleep, reduce stress, anxiety and depression among many other health benefits.