Why do we need to prepare our bodies for pregnancy?

To answer that question, we will need to talk about the concept of Jing (精) in Traditional Chinese Medicine. 

Jing can be translated as essence of life. It is built with two components: the acquired Jing and the innate or inherited Jing. In today’s terms we can equate the idea of acquired Jing with the way our body builds and regenerates. What we eat and how we use our bodies will physically create and define our bodies over the period of a cell’s regeneration, which means our lifestyle choices will be reflected in the quality and function of our body and mind. 

The innate Jing can be compared to our DNA, passed on to us by our parents, formed at the moment of conception. One of the most important things to understand about innate Jing, is that it is finite. It has a lifespan and defines our maximum potential to stay alive. Once our innate Jing is gone, so are we. So it is important to make sure your child has the best possible genetic inheritance of Jing to start with. 

We are not created equal. Some people are gifted with an iron constitution of a body and never get sick, they abuse their bodies with alcohol and tobacco for years but still live well into their 90s and die of a natural cause. Those are the lucky people born with the best innate Jing. For most of us with average Jing, we need to follow a healthy lifestyle to make up for what we lack innately.