Holistic Fitness for Fertility: Nutrition, Movement, and Emotional Wellness for Moms-to-Be

December 22, 2025•3 min read

Preparing for pregnancy requires building a strong foundation for you and the new life it will create.

Daily choices — from what we eat and drink to how we move and rest, to how we manage stress — can either support or hinder reproductive health.

This week at Health Youniversity, we sat down with Arielle Creager, a certified personal trainer and nutrition specialist candidate, to explore a holistic approach that combines functional nutrition, intentional movement, and emotional readiness, helping women feel confident and empowered through preconception, pregnancy, and postpartum.

Holistic Nutrition for Fertility

What you eat affects your whole health and reproductive health, including hormonal balance and egg quality. Chronic inflammation can interfere with hormone signaling and impair fertility. Eating whole, anti-inflammatory foods—like organic vegetables and fruits, clean proteins, and healthy fats—supports your body’s natural processes and helps create the best environment for conception.

Key nutrients to focus on before pregnancy include:

Iron/Ferritin - Supports energy and reduces the risk of complications.
Folate - Essential for early fetal development.

Vitamin D - Supports hormone regulation and immune function.

Vitamin B12 - Important for hormone balance and overall wellness.

Thyroid markers - Ensuring thyroid health is crucial for fertility and early pregnancy.

Hydration is also critical. Adequate clean water intake supports circulation, hormone transport, and cellular function. Avoid plastics and strive for about three liters of water each day to help your body detoxify naturally.

Functional Perinatal Fitness

Preparing your body with strength and functional movement is one of the most effective ways to support fertility, a healthy pregnancy, and postpartum recovery. Functional fitness builds joint stability, muscular strength, and pelvic floor integrity—laying the foundation for comfort and energy throughout pregnancy, labor, and early motherhood.

Key foundational movement patterns to include:

Squat
Hinge
Push
Pull
Unilateral Movements

Safe adaptation is essential. Adjust loads, positions, and repetitions based on your body’s signals. Modify movements to fit your individual needs at every stage—preconception, pregnancy, and postpartum.

Postpartum Fitness Foundations

After giving birth, your body needs intentional, gradual rebuilding. Begin with breathwork and pelvic floor reconnection to restore core function. Focus on gentle, progressive movements that rebuild strength and stability without overloading joints or tissues.

Only once core and pelvic floor support are established should higher-impact or more strenuous exercises be introduced. This approach helps support recovery, energy, and long-term physical wellness for new mothers.

Emotional Wellness Throughout Pregnancy

Pregnancy brings profound physical changes, but the emotional journey is just as important.

Practices that support emotional well-being include:

Self-compassion: Treat yourself with kindness and patience, acknowledging that it’s normal to have ups and downs.

Balance and mindfulness: Integrate moments of stillness, reflection, and gentle movement to stay grounded.

Letting go of perfection: Release pressure to “do everything perfectly” and focus on what truly nurtures you and your baby.

Connection: Cultivate supportive relationships and seek community, whether through partners, friends, or other expectant mothers.

By embracing both strength and softness, women can approach pregnancy as a transformative experience — physically, mentally, and emotionally — while building resilience for life.

Check out all of our episodes on the following platforms:

https://susanfox1.easywebinar.live/gentle-detox

Know the status of your fertility health. Take our FREE Fertility Quiz now: http://yourfertilityquiz.com/

Fulfill your dream of a family. Know your best options for a healthy pregnancy: https://www.healthyouniversity.co/programs

Boost Employee Productivity by Investing in their Fertility Health. Check out our Corporate Wellness program and know the benefits it can bring to your company: https://www.healthyouniversity.co/corporate-wellness

Arielle Creager is a perinatal fitness and nutrition specialist, helping pregnant and postpartum mothers build strength, confidence, and holistic wellness. Drawing on her training as a personal trainer, nutrition specialist-candidate, and Nike LA trainer, she integrates fitness, nutrition, and functional health to empower women through preconception, pregnancy, and postpartum.

Website: https://www.empwrwellness.net/about-empwr/

Medical Disclaimer:

By listening to the Health Youniversity podcast, you agree not to use this podcast as medical advice to treat any medical condition for yourself or others. Consult your healthcare provider for any medical issues you may have. This entire disclaimer also pertains to any guests or contributors to any Health Youniversity podcast.

Dr. Susan Fox

I am a women’s health expert with a specialty in working with women and couples navigating fertility challenges for more than 20 years. I look forward to helping you realize your dream of family. I’m also a mother, a sister, a friend. I live in beautiful Northern California, where the nature of Mt. Tamalpais, the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay are my backyard. Traditional Chinese Medicine discovered me in 1978, when I was struggling with digestive complaints that flummoxed medical doctors. It wasn’t until I received my first acupuncture treatment and herbal prescription that I connected my medical condition to grief over loss of a loved one; that the stress of holding in such huge emotions was literally tying me up in knots, and I was finally able to heal. Discovering the powerful links between the physical, the mental, the emotional, the spiritual, and the environmental shifted my understanding of health and wellness forever. For more than 20 years, I’ve had the privilege of learning and implementing Whole Systems Traditional Chinese Medicine to understand the root causes of health conditions and realize optimal health and well-being. I am a strong believer in the importance of health education, for knowledge is power when you have the tools for effective self care.

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