Swimming strong: Nutrition and sperm

Even though a healthy male produces millions of sperm a day, there will only be one lucky candidate who gets to ‘crack the egg’. However, for a healthy man and a fertile woman it can still take years for a couple to conceive – that’s why it’s so important to eat healthily to give your swimmers the best chance they can have.

Eat well to swim like Thorpy

Sometimes genetics can play a role in sperm count, but often sperm count can deplete over time due to several risk factors. For example, if you eat like Occhy before his comeback, you will be well on your way to infertility. You also never know when you may like to start a family. It may not be now, but good health is a process. So start training now and cut down on the sugar and fat – because even Occhy won the World Title in the end.

Obesity: There’s really no upside

There is a mountain of reasons to stay in shape, no pun intended, and there are really no advantages in obesity. In regards to fertility, obesity is once again a killer and your fertility will decline as your body mass index (BMI) increases. We’re certainly not saying everyone has to be cut like Brad Pitt in Troy (sorry, ladies!) – however, having a healthy weight and getting decent exercise will not only improve your fertility but also your entire life. And that is a scientific fact.

There have been countless studies into metabolic imbalance and its role in infertility, which means things like diabetes can diminish your ‘little blokes’ and once you are at that stage it is much harder to return. There are also other problems with too much weight gain that can affect your count, like hypertension or dyslipidaemia, which is associated with cholesterol (and we all know what that is).

Supe up your engine with nutrients

It’s really not all bad news. There are really easy things you can do to rev your sperm count, like eating your dose of antioxidants, as this is shown to have a very positive effect. If you want to know which foods are rich in antioxidants, just go to the fruit and veg section at the supermarket, because they are all waiting to unleash their antioxidants on you! Especially broccoli …

It’s not a hard job, just stick to this guideline

Maintain a healthy weight by:

Reducing total calorie intake, for example by limiting fat and sugar, reducing fast food consumption, eating freshly prepared meals, and snacking on fruit or nuts instead of chips and biscuits;
Individuals may find it helpful to monitor their calorie intake using a calorie counter;
Increase daily exercise to at least 30 minutes per day, for example by integrating exercise into day to day activities like walking to work or bike riding with children;
Lay off the brewskies!