Preparing for Conception: Quality Essence

Jing which is Chinese for Essence is the basis for life. We are born with all of the essence we will   have throughout our life. It is given to us via our parents and a majority of the quality and quantity of it is based on the amount that they have to give to us at conception. You can think of Jing as the eggs in women and the sperm in males. A female has all of the eggs she will have throughout her life before she is even born.We use up our Jing throughout our life time. We can think of Jing as money in our bank account. We inevitably withdrawal from our source on a frequent basis throughout our live span but how much we take is dependent on how we choose to live our lives. If we choose to drink a lot of alcohol, eat foods that are not good for us, to stay up all night long and not get a lot of rest, to overwork and stress, we will use up our jing quicker. If however, we choose to be well rested, meditate, exercise in a balanced way, eat well and generally live a balanced life, we can actually add to our Jing and reserve a good portion for later in our life. It is no wonder that when we are in our 20s we are able to drink a lot, eat whatever we want, stay up all night and go to work early the next morning without truly noticing the consequences. That is until we hit our 30s and we have exhausted a good amount of our jing. Now a days this is of even more concern since we are choosing to have children later in life. Our choices preconception become even more vital. This is true for both men and women. Whats done is done but if we are considering having children it is time to start depositing back into the bank account. This calls for taking a good look at our diet and lifestyle. Are you eating fast food and highly processed foods a majority of the time.  Are you tired most of the time? Do you feel stressed often? Is your career mentally draining?       Are you sleeping well? What is your overall state of health? This is a good predictor of the quality and quantity of jing that you have to pass onto your unborn child. Recent studies have shown that the quality of life of the mother and father preconception is a great determiner of the future quality of health of their child. Knowing you have the ability to determine such a major aspect of your child’s life is great motivation to make changes where they are needed. Here are some tips on how you can start improving your health and therefor the quality of the egg and sperm that will create your child: *Eat whole foods and ditch the processed foods. *If you smoke cigarettes, develop a strategy for quitting. *If you drink frequently, cut down dramatically. *Find ways to bring peace and relaxation into your life such as meditation and yoga. * Up your intake of antioxidants such as; good quality dark chocolate, berries, beans, apples, cherries, legumes, and prunes just to name a few.

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