An alternative way to do simple mindfulness (Part 1)

In my previous post, I shared tips on how to change your lifestyle to boost your fertility.  In this post, I wanted to share some tips on nutrition to boost your fertility based on scientific evidence. 1. Take a multivitamin Women who take a daily multivitamin take 5% less time to conceive than those taking a placebo. 2. Supplementation Take supplementation to correct any nutritional deficiencies.  A study showed that magnesium deficiency is associated with female, infertility, increased miscarriage rates, and increased incidences of premature and low-birth-weight babies.  When magnesium supplements were given for four months to six magnesium deficient women with unexplained infertility, all six conceived within the following eight month and produced healthy babies.  In men, low levels of zinc have been linked to poor sperm quality and infertility. 3. Optimise your diet. Researchers found that an optimal diet for fertility was one with:

• a lower intake of trans fats with a greater intake of monounsaturated fats (found in olive oil, avocados and nuts)
• a lower intake of animal protein with a greater intake of vegatable protein (found in peas, lentils and beans)
• a greater intake of plant-based iron (from sources like whole grains, leafy green vegatables, nuts and seeds)
• a preference for high-fat diary products (like full-fat cheese and milk)

Sometimes in life we can get trapped, focusing on what we don't have rather that what we do have, which can lead to a state of anxiety and stress.  I know in the past, I have been guilty of believe my happiness will increase when I earn more, find my ideal man, get promoted at work (- obviously I am talking about before I was self-employed), have a bigger house.  The danger is when we get the promotion, pay rise, bigger house etc we immediately focus on the next goal and an increase in our happiness  is now dependent on our next goal. Growing up with mother who suffered from frequent bouts of depression which made her focus on the negativity, I have learned the importance of focusing on the positive.  Now their may be some people reading this, saying that is all well and good for you, but isn't that burying your head in the sand when your have problems.  The short answer to this is no.  It is important to acknowledge your problems & difficulties but rather than focus on life’s BS and pain, focus on what is going right.  At the same time remember that what ever isn't working in your life right now, will pass!  

Sitting all day is a current health concern.   While I know that sitting all day has been described as "the new smoking" until now this made me uncomfortable - as its not the same.  You can get help to quit smoking.  If you work in an office you are expected to sit and standing desks are rare, so you have no choice but to sit down.  While I am aware that smoking is an addiction, I think it is still more within the individual's control than sitting if you work in an office. I am an optimistic person by nature, so I don't want to be the voice of doom for my readers about sitting.  So I was very interested in some recent research which demonstrates how to limit the impact of sitting. Spending much of the day sitting around increases the risk for heart disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer and ultimately, death - with 50,000 people anually in the UK dying as a result, say researches from Queen's University in Belfast.    Around 30% of adults spend at least six hours a day during the week sitting and this rises to 37% at weekends.  Roughly one-thrid of people who are sedentary will have at least two major health conditions, such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes.  Researchers from the American Cancer Society estimate that just 30 minutes of some physical activity would halve the death rates from chronic diseases such as heart disease and cancer. So 30 minutes of physical activity per day (like walking) is what researchers currently think is required to combat sitting all day. References Journal Epidemiol Community Health. 2019 Jul;73(7):625-629. doi:10.1136/jech-2018-211758 Americal Journal of Preventive Medicine, Mortality Risk Reductions for Replacing Sedentary Time with Physical Activities, Rees-Punia, Erika et al.  Volume 56, Issue 5, 736-741