If you want to ensure that your baby gets the best possible start, living healthy should be one of your biggest priorities. Those nine months are crucial for your child’s bright future.

Here are Dr. Joseph Mercola’s simplest and most practical healthy pregnancy tips gathered from over three decades of experience in health care:

• Get healthy daily doses of omega-3 fats – Dr. Mercola believes that getting adequate levels of omega-3 fats are the single most important dietary influence on prenatal health. Omega-3 and its derivative, DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), are critical to a child’s development. Deficiency of this essential fat can cause unexplained emotional, learning, and immune system disorders, and increases the risk of a child being born prematurely. Omega-3s also help mothers deal with depression during pregnancy.
• Optimize your vitamin D levels – Vitamin D has been shown to influence over 2,000 genes in your body. It is believed that about 85 percent of Americans are deficient of this important nutrient, and that getting enough vitamin D through healthy sun exposure can decrease your cancer risk by 50 percent.
• Get regular exercise – Unless your doctor has told you otherwise, exercise should be a part of your health routine while you’re pregnant. Studies show that exercise decreases the possibility of premature birth. Women who exercised at the same rate throughout their pregnancies were shown to have larger placentas than their more sedentary peers. The volume of the placenta is an indicator of its ability to transport oxygen and nutrients to your baby.
• Eat for vitality and health – “Eating for two” during pregnancy is a very misleading statement because obesity can wreak havoc on your health, cause complications throughout your pregnancy and affect your unborn child, Dr. Mercola warns. It’s important to your health and to your baby’s to keep your weight within reasonable parameters. Eat a well-balanced diet consisting of adequate protein, healthy fats, fruits and vegetables (preferably fresh and organic). Green leafy vegetables are rich in folic acid, which helps reduce the chance of your child being born with brain and spinal cord defects. Raw eggs are another important food for pregnancy because they are a rich source of protein, carotenoids and choline.
• Avoid vaccinations – You should avoid all vaccinations while you are pregnant, as well as having your baby get any shots after birth. Vaccines contain mercury, which, even in low concentrations, has been associated with impaired energy production, impaired brain cell function and increased free radical production in the brain.
• Remove your mercury amalgams – It would be best to remove your mercury amalgam “silver” fillings BEFORE you become pregnant, but if you’re already pregnant, it is probably best not to remove your fillings until after you deliver.
• Minimize your exposure to chemicals inside and outside your home – Studies show that pesticide exposure increases the risk of autism, reproductive abnormalities, childhood learning disabilities and miscarriages. Common household chemicals like aerosol, bleach, carpet cleaner, etc., can also harm you and your baby. Use only the safest cosmetics because over time, toxins in your personal care products can affect you and your child’s nervous and reproductive systems, and cause other health issues so it’s best to look for natural and organic products.
• Avoid exposure to phthalates and BPA – These two chemicals have been linked to birth defects, shortened pregnancy and for being “gender-benders” – substances which cause male humans and male animals to take on female characteristics. Phthalates are added to many products, including food containers, hair spray, insect repellent, moisturizers and nail polish while BPA is also used in food containers, baby bottles and soda can linings.
• Treat severe gum disease – Numerous studies reveal that pregnant women who suffer from gum disease are more likely to have premature birth. Animal studies also shown that periodontal infections impair fetal growth.
• Get enough sleep – Along with a healthy diet and regular exercise, sleep also plays an important role in your overall health. If you lack sleep, your baby’s wellbeing will also suffer.

Lab mice given large doses of quercetin were able to run as much as 37 percent longer on a wheel or treadmill while those given a placebo showed no such improvement. The muscles and brains of the mice given quercetin also showed new mitochondria, the part of the cell which helps produce energy.

FRS, the makers of a sports drink containing quercetin, bankrolled a small study in 2006 which featured top-level cyclists who “significantly improved high-intensity cycling time-trial performance through enhancement of power output,” after drinking the quercetin-containing beverage.

Other studies, however, did not provide encouraging results. Runners who used quercetin before the 100-mile Western States Endurance Run in California, did not place better than those who didn’t take the supplement.

The largest and most comprehensive study on quercetin and athletic performance was conducted on a group of 30 healthy but untrained young men at the University of Georgia. This was reported in August in The Journal of Applied Physiology. The researchers hypothesized that quercetin might not work for trained athletes because regular aerobic exercise had already maxed out their mitochondrial production, but it might stimulate mitochondrial production in the untrained and boost their athletic performance.

The results were disappointing because there was no difference between the quercetin group and the placebo group. This study is not definitive but it also means that researchers can’t generalize from mouse studies to humans. It also stressed the point that improved performance cannot be delivered by supplements alone – athletes still need to exercise, train and eat right.

Physical preparation is just one step. Some athletes also have to deal with performance anxiety. Whether you’re shooting hoops, cycling or running a marathon, the mental battle is also crucial.

The Meridian Tapping Technique or MTT (also known as the Emotional Freedom Techniques or EFT) can help balance an athlete’s body energy to help him/her perform in the most pressure-packed situations.

MTT is a simple do-it-yourself tapping procedure gently done with the fingertips on key acupuncture points and takes less than a minute. This minute could spell the difference between an average showing and an elite performance

Americans use 34 million rolls of toilet paper each day, which uses up 161 million KWh of power, 221,000 trees, 225 million gallons of water and produces 88 million lbs of greenhouse gases.

All for the sake of proper toilet hygiene.

You might find the idea of not having any toilet paper appalling, but many people around the world actually don’t use any toilet paper.

There are many “greener,” cleaner and healthier alternatives to toilet paper available. For Dr. Joseph Mercola, using a bidet is a simple way to increase your toilet hygiene. Wiping yourself with a toilet paper can easily contaminate your fingers – a risk easily eliminated by using a bidet, which is also gentler to the skin, especially for those who have hemorrhoids.

You’ll also need a few sheets of toilet paper for drying after using a bidet, and using an air-drying bidet will eliminate toilet paper use entirely.

Dr. Mercola visited India last year and was surprised to find out that a lot of people use a squat toilet. Many Indians do not have regular, elevated toilets but just have a hole in the floor. Using a toilet like that allows your body to squat – the position that it was designed to be when you’re having a bowel movement.

Using a regular toilet means sitting on the cover, which causes you to lose a lot of the force you need for elimination. Now, Dr. Mercola isn’t telling you to get rid of your toilet and dig a hole in your bathroom floor instead. You can use other devices that you can put around the toilet that will help stimulate the squatting position.

Hemorrhoids are rarely seen in countries where people squat for bodily functions. Results of a study published in the late 1980s showed 18 out of 20 hemorrhoid patients had complete and sustained relief from pain and bleeding with use of a squat toilet.

Here are other safe and effective toilet habits:

1. Use the toilet whenever you feel the urge to have a bowel movement. Delaying will only lead to or cause constipation.
2. Avoid sitting on the toilet for prolonged periods because this puts more pressure on your rectum. Limit your time on the toilet to three to five minutes per sitting. Whenever necessary, get up, walk around or distract yourself while waiting for the urge to return before returning to the seat. You can also use a small footstool to elevate your legs and relieve pressure while seated on the toilet.
3. Only exert gentle pressure and use only your abdominal and pelvic muscles to avoid strain during a bowel movement.

Living close to nature may help you live longer and happier. Hospital patients who have a view of nature recover from surgery and illness faster.

Studies also show that plants in the work place reduced stress in office workers and lowered the number of sick days taken, lessened fatigue and stress, and made employees feel more productive.

Students were also found to be more attentive and more likely to return to class if there were plants in the lecture hall.

With regards to physical health benefits, NASA, in cooperation with the Associated Landscape Contractors of America, conducted a classic study on the benefits of plants on indoor air, which showed that houseplants can remove up to 87 percent of air toxins in 24 hours.

NASA believes that common houseplants can serve as “living air purifiers” which “absorb chemical pollutants resulting from synthetic materials in the living area.”
You should be concerned about the air you breathe at home because indoor air can be up to 10 times more polluted than outdoor air. Among the most common pollutants are volatile organic compounds (VOCs), toxic gases emitted from paints, cleansers, air fresheners, vinyl floors, carpets, upholstery fabrics, and much more.

VOCs can cause cancer and damage your central nervous system, kidney and liver, Dr. Joseph Mercola explains. Other potentially toxic vapors which may be lurking indoors include ammonia, benzene, toluene and xylene.

While Dr. Mercola believes that a quality indoor air purifier can greatly help improve the air you breathe at home, houseplants can provide an extra buffer.

According to New Ecologist, here are the top 10 pollution-busting houseplants:

1. African Violets – Has pretty purple flowers and is easy to propagate. Grows in moderate light and temperature.
2. Christmas Cactus – Has beautiful fuchsia, orange, pink, red and violet colored glossy blooms. Needs adequate light and water and produces its best blooms during Christmas.
3. Devil’s Ivy – A beautiful vine which requires little care. Is excellent against benzene, carbon monoxide and formaldehyde. But don’t let your pets ingest it.
4. English Ivy – Ideal for those who have pets as it filters fecal particles, formaldehyde aerosols and other toxins. Warning: this plant is poisonous.
5. Feston Rose Plant – Bears many flowers with variegated colors, is low maintenance and leaves a pleasant smell while helping purify the air.
6. Garlic Vine – Has flowers and leaves that smell like garlic and onions when crushed.
7. Parlor Ivy – Has a small, deep green heart-shaped leaves and helps filter out unwanted chemicals.
8. Peace Lily – Bears attractive white flowers which grow under moderate to low light. Needs moist soil to thrive. Filters out the smell of adhesives, nail polish, paints and solvents.
9. Phalaenopsis – Has big white and pinkish flowers and very fleshy leaves.
10. Yellow Goddess – Makes an excellent house plant due to its diminutive size but big showy yellow flowers.

A new study conducted at the University of Nottingham Schools of Graduate Entry Medicine and Biomedical Sciences showed that it gets harder for people aged over 65 to suppress muscle wasting or breakdown.

When older people eat, their ability to build muscle with the protein they consume is hampered and the insulin in their bodies fail to prevent the muscle wasting that occurs overnight and between meals.

A follow-up study showed that poor blood flow may be an important factor because it prevents the optimal delivery of hormones and nutrients to the muscles.

Researchers discovered that regular weight training helps rejuvenate blood flow to the extremities of people in their late 60s, to the point that they were almost identical to those of 25-year-olds.

Osteopathic physician Dr. Joseph Mercola believes that exercise, including weight training, is a natural remedy for poor blood circulation. Many exercisers, however, give little or no time for weight training because they think it’s too strenuous and will cause them to “bulk up.”

But weight training isn’t about looking like an underwear model. Weight-bearing exercises can help produce beneficial changes in your body, on the chemical, enzymatic, hormonal and molecular levels. These changes will help prevent or slow down many diseases caused by a sedentary lifestyle, such as diabetes, heart disease, muscle wasting and osteoporosis, Dr. Mercola explains.

So unless you plan to be the next Arnold Schwarzenegger, there’s no need to worry about overly bulking up when you do weights.

When you gain more muscle, you’re also burning more calories, which are consumed even when you are at rest or asleep, and this helps you get rid of body fat.

Weight training does more than tone your muscles and induces weight loss. Weight-bearing exercises are among the most effective treatment strategies against osteoporosis. Taking drugs to improve your bone density is a big no-no for Dr. Mercola, because this is more likely to give you more harm in the long run.

Your bones become more brittle as you age, especially if you’re leading a sedentary lifestyle. Resistance training can help prevent this effect because putting more tension on your muscles also applies more pressure on your bones, which then react by creating fresh, new bone. Also, as you put on more muscle and strengthen your existing mass, you’re also applying constant pressure to your bones.

Weight lifting can also help reduce your risk of diabetes and heart disease by lowering inflammation in your body to help keep off visceral fat (commonly known as belly fat), which is deposited in your abdomen to surround your vital organs. Visceral fat has been linked to serious chronic conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and stroke, among many other chronic diseases.

Exercise can provide you with an assortment of health benefits but it is just one component of a healthy lifestyle. To fully experience the benefits of exercise, you should also start eating healthy and managing your stress levels.