For Men, Exercise is Key to Increasing Fertility

A comprehensive randomized control study that came out earlier this year suggests that engaging in moderate aerobic exercise can significantly increase male fertility rates in previously infertile men. The study was conducted over a 24-week intervention period, with both exercise and non-exercise groups being physically similar in terms of body composition, semen quality, markers of inflammation and oxidative stress.

Throughout the course of the study, measurements were taken against baseline measurements, showing significant improvements in the exercise group in following areas: Increase in Vo2 Max, which measures aerobic capacity, an increase in semen quality and decrease in sperm DNA damage, decreased markers of oxidative stress, and decreased pro-inflammatory markers. Furthermore, during and post intervention, there were more total pregnancies and live births in the exercise group than in the control group, which reported 0% live births.

As the exercise subjects became more aerobically active, they experienced decreased body weight and body fat during the intervention. The decrease in oxidative stress is attributed to an increase in exercise-induced antioxidant enzymes. It was also reported that discontinuing exercise four weeks after the intervention period was not a long enough period have a significant adverse effect on fertility and pregnancy outcomes.

The take-away for men and couples hoping to increase their fertility, is that even a little goes a long way. Try to incorporate moderate physical activity into your lifestyle, 3-4 days/week, for at least 25 minutes per bout. Examples of moderate physical activity include:

1. Brisk walk

2. Light jog

3. Heavy cleaning

4. Mowing the lawn

5. Light bicycling (10-12 miles/hour)

6. Tennis- doubles

7. Recreational badminton

8. Hiking

9. Recreational swimming

10. Kayaking in calm water

By Rima Sidhu, MS

What is the Paleo Diet?

Many diet gurus, workout fiends, and nutrition specialists have been touting the benefits of the Paleo diet. A Paleo diet is named appropriately because it focuses on eating foods available only in the Paleolithic Age, when our ancestors were hunters and gatherers. This eliminates ALL processed foods, refined grains, cereals, and milk. Only fruits, vegetables, meats, nuts and seeds are allowed. The diet makes sense because evidence has shown that processed foods and sugars are responsible for many health issues. It increases the consumption of meats, fruits, and vegetables, which add nutrients and antioxidants to the diet.

Some of the health benefits of the Paleo diet include weight loss, reduced inflammation, increased satiety, regulated blood sugar levels, and corrected nutrient deficiencies. The diet is high in protein and fat, and since it’s all-natural, it is filled with nutrient rich foods.

Foods that should be avoided on the Paleo diet are refined sugars, refined oils, dairy, legumes (including peanuts, beans, and tofu), salt, potatoes, cereal grains, starches, and alcohol. Many Paleo experts allow grass-fed butter since it is more a fat than a dairy product, but that is a little controversial. Other controversial foods are pseudo-grains, such as quinoa. Quinoa is not strictly Paleo, but some people on Paleo diets eat it from time to time. It should be avoided if weight loss is the goal or if there are gut issues.

If your goal is weight loss, certain foods that are considered Paleo should be consumed in moderation. For example, butternut squash, acorn squash, yams, sweet potatoes, and beets are starchy vegetables. While technically allowed, their high starch content increases blood sugar levels and may promote weight gain, so they should be consumed in moderation. Additionally, processed meats and meat high in fat should be avoided since they provide more calories and fat. While fruits are Paleo-approved, they are also high in natural sugars, so consumption should be limited to once a day, with the focus on low glycemic fruits, such as berries and apples.

Some critics of the Paleo diet state that the diet may be too high in protein and difficult for many people to follow. Additionally, the diet is high in seafood. Many types of fish and shellfish are very high in toxins. However, in general, I believe the benefits of the diet far outweigh the negatives. In fact, if your goal is to lose weight in 2018, a version of the Paleo diet is a great way to start off the New Year!

By Denise Groothuis MS RD

What Can We Learn from Top Athletes?

One of the quotes that better describes the mindset of successful athletes says, “Top athletes train as if they are the worst, yet compete as if they are the best.” I find it to be a humble, yet a powerful description of how an elite athlete goes about the mental preparation to succeed. Success is not consistently achieved by just showing up to compete and trying your best. Elite athletes clearly understand that the best predictor of success is a well-structured practice that pushes their physical, strategic, and mindset boundaries. Only when practices are used to their fullest potential, ideal performance are achieved.

Here are the best five habits shared by elite athletes that we can also implement:

Goal setting

Elite athletes plan their course of action by specifically setting out their goals under a reasonable time-table. Knowing exactly what they want to achieve pushes them to take action in direction toward constant improvement. Goals are broken down by identifying long-term objectives first and then working backwards by setting short term goals. One way to effectively stay on track on the achievement is by using a SMART chart. Eliud Keichogue, who ran 2nd in the 2016 London Marathon, kept track of all his progress, which helps him to remind himself of all his success and progress he was making to meet his goals.

Embrace mistakes as a learning experience

Elite athletes compete against themselves. All their focus is on improving their skills, mindset and performance. Missing the achievement of a goal is not a setback, but rather an opportunity to learn and improve for next time. Avoiding mistakes will only limit their achievements. Learning how to cope with setbacks will push them to achieve their goals. They see a big difference between obstacles versus challenges. The former places focus on the negative whereas the latter on the positive. Elite athletes are constantly learning from all their opportunities that are given and use that experience to feed more information and critical thinking to plan better for next time.

• Sleep

Usain Bolt shared that his unnegotiable preparation routine is sleep. Sleeping is a time to recover and re-energize the body and mind. Make sure your room is free from electronics, a bit on the cooler side as it helps to rest the body quicker, and maintain a routine. Equally effective are power-naps. It provides time for the body to heal and, most importantly, for the mind to be fresh and ready to react and respond.

• Imagery

The imagery of attaining goals is a powerful tool that feeds the brain with positive energy, optimism and motivation. Athletes visualize the achievement of their goal prior to starting each of their performances and practices. There are two ways of doing imagery work: Internal Imagery: the athlete sees him/herself executing the ideal performance by bringing in as vivid an imagery as possible. The athlete “feels” the entire experience of the performance as if he/she is really doing it. The clearer and the more vivid the imagery is, the more the body will remember such an experience. External Imagery: the athlete sees him/herself competing as if he/she was on a canvas or screen of a movie theatre. In this case, there is an imaginary distance where the athlete “sees” him/herself successfully completing the entire performance rather than sensing it in his/her body.

• Be happy

Katie Ledecky, a multiple time Olympic and World swimming champion, has learned to take competition in a happy, more relaxed manner. She shares that she places anxious moments at an arm’s length by bringing positive thoughts to any negative thoughts that start to creep into her mind. She finds that smiling and laughter brings relaxation and are natural remedies to alleviate stress.

Hope these tips used by elite athletes are equally incorporated in your routines. If it works from them, it can clearly work for us.

Alex Diaz, PhD

Sports Mental Edge