5 Reasons Why Fitness is Good for Fertility
By Haritha Reddy, Trellis Health Fertility Coach
While there might not be a single workout or yoga pose that can magically increase your fertility, incorporating regular exercise into your week can absolutely help get your reproductive system on track, relieve stress, and prepare your body for starting a family (one day). Though, you don’t need to have a jogging stroller in your Amazon cart for your fertility to be a priority. Whether you're “trying” or currently “avoiding” you can take care of your reproductive wellness to encourage a healthier version of you. Below are a few reasons you should add some low-impact activity to benefit your fertility.
1. Working out reduces stress.
While the jury is still out on whether or not stress directly impacts your reproductive system, there’s still the undeniable reality that when we are stressed, we fall into negative habits that could have an undesirable effect on our fertility (having those extra couple glasses of wine, overeating, under-eating or staying up late scrolling through your phone, for example, can all negatively impact fertility). Regular exercise is a great way to manage stress. As a bonus, group classes or working with a coach can encourage camaraderie, empowerment, and even a support system.
2. It can lower your BMI.
Women who sit higher (or lower) on the BMI are more likely to have irregular periods. If your periods are irregular or less frequent to do being overweight, it means you aren’t ovulating on a consistent schedule. If you are higher on the Body Mass Index a simple way to get your system back on track is incorporating regular exercise throughout the week.
3. It adds some routine into your cycle.
Exercise can be a useful tool for regulating your menstrual cycle. If you feel like you can never figure out when your period is going to pop up, you can use exercise 4-5 days a week to help regulate your menstrual cycle. Of course, you don’t want to over work out, which is why having at least a couple of days of rest is important.
4. Low impact activity can relieve period cramps.
Oh yes, you read that right. While eating ice cream and binge-watching Netflix might seem like the only thing that’s going to save you when your uterus starts contracting, if you can get off the couch you will likely have better benefits. Getting in at least 30 minutes of low impact aerobic activity has actually shown to help relieve pelvic cramps. This is because working out releases beta-endorphins which act as a sort of morphine and relieves pain. One of the best parts is if you have a normal fitness routine it can prevent PMS cramps from ever showing up at all.
5. Increased blood flow to your uterus.
If you have a desk job, it’s likely your seated position is cutting circulation to your pelvic area and reproductive organs. The cure is simply getting up to move on a regular basis with exercise. Working out your entire body gets the blood flowing throughout, including your reproductive system and it works to strengthen muscles surrounding your uterus. An added bonus is that when you get your whole body moving, you can actually increase your libido.
About Trellis:
Trellis Health is a women’s egg freezing fertility studio and wellness destination dedicated to empowering women planning for their future family. Founded by women who have endured their own fertility challenges, Trellis has created a best-in-class, modern-day fertility experience for women. Their mission is enabling women to preserve their fertility by providing an empowering egg freezing experience coupled with fertility wellness.
Trellis is offering P.volve members an exclusive offer of $99 assessments (usually a $350 value) with code PVOLVE. Offer expires 10/31.
While there might not be a single workout or yoga pose that can magically increase your fertility, incorporating regular exercise into your week can absolutely help get your reproductive system on track, relieve stress, and prepare your body for starting a family (one day). Though, you don’t need to have a jogging stroller in your Amazon cart for your fertility to be a priority. Whether you're “trying” or currently “avoiding” you can take care of your reproductive wellness to encourage a healthier version of you. Below are a few reasons you should add some low-impact activity to benefit your fertility.
1. Working out reduces stress.
While the jury is still out on whether or not stress directly impacts your reproductive system, there’s still the undeniable reality that when we are stressed, we fall into negative habits that could have an undesirable effect on our fertility (having those extra couple glasses of wine, overeating, under-eating or staying up late scrolling through your phone, for example, can all negatively impact fertility). Regular exercise is a great way to manage stress. As a bonus, group classes or working with a coach can encourage camaraderie, empowerment, and even a support system.
2. It can lower your BMI.
Women who sit higher (or lower) on the BMI are more likely to have irregular periods. If your periods are irregular or less frequent to do being overweight, it means you aren’t ovulating on a consistent schedule. If you are higher on the Body Mass Index a simple way to get your system back on track is incorporating regular exercise throughout the week.
3. It adds some routine into your cycle.
Exercise can be a useful tool for regulating your menstrual cycle. If you feel like you can never figure out when your period is going to pop up, you can use exercise 4-5 days a week to help regulate your menstrual cycle. Of course, you don’t want to over work out, which is why having at least a couple of days of rest is important.
4. Low impact activity can relieve period cramps.
Oh yes, you read that right. While eating ice cream and binge-watching Netflix might seem like the only thing that’s going to save you when your uterus starts contracting, if you can get off the couch you will likely have better benefits. Getting in at least 30 minutes of low impact aerobic activity has actually shown to help relieve pelvic cramps. This is because working out releases beta-endorphins which act as a sort of morphine and relieves pain. One of the best parts is if you have a normal fitness routine it can prevent PMS cramps from ever showing up at all.
5. Increased blood flow to your uterus.
If you have a desk job, it’s likely your seated position is cutting circulation to your pelvic area and reproductive organs. The cure is simply getting up to move on a regular basis with exercise. Working out your entire body gets the blood flowing throughout, including your reproductive system and it works to strengthen muscles surrounding your uterus. An added bonus is that when you get your whole body moving, you can actually increase your libido.
About Trellis:
Trellis Health is a women’s egg freezing fertility studio and wellness destination dedicated to empowering women planning for their future family. Founded by women who have endured their own fertility challenges, Trellis has created a best-in-class, modern-day fertility experience for women. Their mission is enabling women to preserve their fertility by providing an empowering egg freezing experience coupled with fertility wellness.
Trellis is offering P.volve members an exclusive offer of $99 assessments (usually a $350 value) with code PVOLVE. Offer expires 10/31.