At any time, the state of your own health should be of concern to you. When you are pregnant however, your health is more important because it doesn't just include you, but your baby as well. If you are attempting to get pregnant then you want to make sure your body is in good shape just as you would when you are pregnant.

Here are a few things you should be doing prior to conceiving:

- Evaluate any bad habits you may have and stop them, this includes smoking, drinking excess amounts of alcohol, and indulging in high fat foods

- Ensure you are getting a reasonable amount of exercise, getting your body in shape before you have your child is going to help you with losing any necessary weight gain afterwards

- Evaluate any medications you are taking and discuss any impacts of not taking them or pregnancy side effects with your doctor. It goes without saying recreational drug use should be stopped.

- Keep track of your monthly periods. This way you will know your best times for fertility, and also have a good idea of when you might have actually conceived!

- Start taking pre-natal vitamins now. Folic acid is important to developing babies, but you might as well start a vitamin routine now so when you are pregnant you are already in the habit

After you are pregnant you are going to want to start some things you might not already have started. Here is a list of what you need to consider with regards to your health after you are pregnant:

- If you haven't stopped smoking, drinking or eating fatty foods, make a concentrated effort to now

- Exercise during pregnancy is important, but you don't need to overdo it. Light exercise that is comfortable to you is enough. Consult with your doctor also prior to starting up a routine, you don't want anything too strenuous and you will need to discuss any health or pregnancy concerns with a professional first

- Keep visits with your doctor. This is not a time when you want to be missing appointments. Not only would you miss the fun of hearing things like your babies heartbeat, but if you do end up having any issues, you want them noted and treated immediately

- Eat a lot of healthy foods. You might crave constant junk food, but you want to stick to eating healthy vegetables and fruit, whole grains, and fresh meats. The more junk food you fill up on the more goes to the baby and you don't want to restrict him or her from getting enough vitamins

- Try to avoid places where you might contract an illness. If you are traveling or around a lot of people wash your hands frequently. No one wants to get sick at the best of times, and if you are pregnant it can be a much rougher recovery period

In the end the health choices you make are going to affect both you and your unborn child, so try to make the right choices when it comes to lifestyle decisions. Wanting to have the best health for your child is the first step to being a great parent!