Most women I work with are in the same boat. Exercise is not joyful for them. Does this sound like you too? If it does, I’ll help you to find movement you enjoy and want to do regularly—and not because you are afraid of the consequences of skipping it. You deserve to feel great and take pleasure in your body and all it can do. You will discover:
The best movement for women with PCOS is . . . whatever you enjoy! Some of the best choices for our metabolism and hormones include high-intensity interval training (HIIT), yoga, and strength training, but the possibilities are endless.
Adrenal fatigue may be keeping you from reaching your goals. Women with PCOS are hormonally vulnerable. Overtaxing our adrenal glands, producers of hormones that control fertility and the stress response, with the wrong types of movement can throw everything out of balance.
The best way to overcome gym anxiety is to think like a PCOS Diva. There is no need to wait until you have a perfect body or lose 10 pounds to go to the gym. You will enjoy going to the gym because it is an act of self-love. Trust me.
Movement and exercise are not weapons to wield against your body. The gym is not a battleground. I know that finding movement you enjoy can be frustrating and even embarrassing. But you can do it, and before you know it, you will be moving like a PCOS Diva (and loving it)!
Week Three: Thrive like a PCOS Diva
During Weeks One and Two, we explore the basics of the PCOS Diva lifestyle and experiment with what works best for you. In Week Three, we add meditation to your daily regimen. At this point, you are ready to step out on your own and practice making your own schedules and menus. You will combine everything you’ve learned into a sustainable, mindful, and joyful lifestyle tailored just for you. You will discover that:
Meditation benefits the mind and body. Not only does meditation help to calm your mind and ease stress; it has physical benefits all over the body.
There are many ways to meditate. You don’t have to do tai chi or chant “Om.” You can meditate anytime, anywhere. There’s even an app for that.
There is a balance that is optimal for your life. Diet, career, movement, relationships—you juggle all of these things and more. The trick is to find a balance of all these elements. We will use the Thrive like a PCOS Diva Wheel to help find your balance.
Clutter creates chaos. Whether it is piles of stuff on your counters, thoughts racing through your mind, or relationships that don’t benefit you, clutter bogs you down. You will learn to clear this clutter and thrive.
This may seem overwhelming, but remember: “Small hinges swing big doors.” Becoming healthy isn’t going to happen overnight. However, by taking small steps, you can begin to heal your mind and body.
Your Transformation Begins Now
You are ready. The time to partner with your body and take control of your PCOS is now.
I can’t wait to start this journey with you. You will not believe the positive impact the changes you will be making over the next three weeks will have on you and even those around you. In fact, you will notice the benefits in as little as a week, but they can last a lifetime. Let’s get started!
As early as age fourteen, I wrestled with many common PCOS symptoms such as acne, hypoglycemia, irregular periods, fatigue, scalp hair loss, and unwanted hair, especially on my face. I wasn’t alone. My mother and both grandmothers had similar struggles. It seemed to be the genetic fate of women in my family. Unfortunately, no one was diagnosed with PCOS, so we didn’t know there was a root cause for all of these symptoms.
My mother took me to a general practitioner, a dermatologist, a gynecologist, and even a psychologist, and I was subjected to countless tests including a scalp biopsy, yet I had no diagnosis. Not one doctor thought to check my androgens, insulin, or blood sugar. Still, I took the doctors’ advice, filled prescriptions, and followed orders. I felt like a victim of my genetics, destined to struggle to get pregnant and some days just to get off the couch. That is, until I chose to take control of my health.
Looking back, I am grateful for my journey. It has shaped the woman that I am and enabled me to help tens of thousands of other women to thrive with PCOS as well. But it was a long journey.
I remember clearly one day in college, when I found myself sitting in a cold medical exam room scared and confused, feeling lousy, not having had a period in months and months, and not understanding why. The doctor looked me in the eye and told me they would have to “jump through hoops” to get me pregnant one day. She renewed my prescription for the pill and sent me on my way. It was a dark moment. I felt helpless and hopeless. I still had no diagnosis. There was no end in sight for my out-of-control symptoms, and now I was facing infertility. Through my twenties, my symptoms worsened. I struck out on my own after college, and that meant eating a lot of inexpensive prepared foods like pasta and macaroni and cheese. I began to struggle with depression. I wondered what was wrong with me. I was a strong, successful, and intelligent woman. Why could I not stop myself from eating Tootsie Rolls? Why was my hair falling out? I was running every day without fail and still gaining weight. I visited an endocrinologist, who gave me spironolactone for my hirsutism (male-pattern hair growth), which did not help because it was only an attempt to treat a symptom. I still didn’t receive a diagnosis.
Eventually, I married the love of my life. We wanted to start a family, so I stopped taking the pill. My health struggles and symptoms continued, but four years later, with the help of clomiphene (Clomid), I became pregnant with my first son. He felt like a miracle. After his birth, we decided to try the Creighton Model for family planning, because I didn’t want to go back on the pill. I met monthly with a Creighton Model teacher who reviewed my charting, and she soon realized that I was not ovulating. She was the first to notice my patterns and mention PCOS. When we were ready to try for a second child, she referred me to a specialist who put me on Actos, guaifenesin, and Clomid. As with all prescriptions up to this point, I took them without question. No dice. I didn’t become pregnant, and I felt awful.
Then I searched out a reproductive endocrinologist. She knew the right labs to request and immediately ordered an ultrasound. Finally! At age thirty, I had my official diagnosis—PCOS. I was put on metformin (which made me horribly sick) and monitored cycles of Clomid. With this help, I conceived my second miracle.
After the birth of my second son, I felt worse than ever. I swore I would never go back on metformin or the pill because both made me feel so awful. I had two beautiful children and a wonderful husband, but I was exhausted all the time and could barely function. My fatigue, hirsutism, brain fog, and hypoglycemia were out of control. I certainly wasn’t the wife or mother I knew I could be. After years of following mainstream advice from countless doctors, I realized that nothing was helping. The drugs they offered made me sicker and more miserable. The drugs that helped get me pregnant couldn’t heal my PCOS. I was way too young to feel so old, and sick and tired of feeling sick and tired—I couldn’t go on living this way.
I knew that if I wanted to feel better, I had to adopt a different approach. I found a naturopath to help me get to the root of my symptoms