Episode #10: Exercise for PCOS Hormone Balance

Exercise is a key part of any PCOS treatment plan. But it can be tough to know where to start. This episode will help you find the best exercise for your unique current pcos root cause and get started on the road to hormone balance

Myths of Exercise for PCOS

Have you heard any of the following?

• You should only do gentle workouts if you have PCOS.
• Cardio isn’t a good idea if you have PCOS.
• Walking and yoga are best for PCOS.
• HIIT is ok for short workouts but don’t over do it.
• The reason you aren’t losing weight is because you are working out too hard.
• The reason you aren’t having regular ovulatory periods is because of your exercise program.

Sound familiar? Have you heard of any of these?
These partial truths have been repeated and taken out of context until many people and even so-called experts believe them.

So what is the truth about exercise and PCOS?

There is certainly NOT one right way to reverse PCOS. And exercise is no exception to the ONE SIZE DOESN’T FIT ALL!

That is why this episode is so important as I share how to approach exercise for PCOS whether you are just getting started or are an athlete.

The benefits of exercise for PCOS go on and on but a few big ones are:

• Exercise reduces stress
• Exercise helps balance blood sugar
• Exercise reduces inflammation
• Exercise improves mood and energy

Well just like anything else…. we can always overuse a good thing. And over-exercising can lead to burnout and adrenal fatigue, something that I also discuss in the episode and how to listen to your body.

That said, understanding your primary PCOS root cause is always very important. And can provide a lot of insight into what exercise routines could benefit your PCOS the most.

You can take the PCOS root cause quiz to learn more about your current primary root cause.

Where does that leave YOU? What practical action can you take to improve your PCOS hormone balance with exercise

While there may be cases of too much exercise the problem is feeling restricted and fearful. 

The concern of doing something wrong paralyzes us to take action. And without getting started we can’t discover what is or isn’t working for our bodies.

So sadly these blanket statements that only apply to about 10% of women with PCOS who are currently in active burnout are being applied to 90+ % of women with PCOS who would greatly benefit from exercise but are left not sure what to do. 

so I encourage you to take the PCOS root cause quiz and start learning more about your PCOS root cause. And listen to this episode so that you can feel more confident in how to move your body to benefit your health and hormones. 

And listen now to learn all about how to add exercise to benefit your hormones and make your journey to PCOS health even easier. The PCOS Repair podcast is here to help you learn more and more about your PCOS root causes and how to heal your PCOS and reverse your PCOS naturally. 

Here’s a glance at this episode…

[00:08] 

today we will be setting the record straight based on actual scientific data about exercise. When you have PCOS.

[01:09] 

So first of all, what kind of myths are out there about PCOS and exercise? Perhaps you’ve heard some of these so they might be something like you should only do gentle workouts if you have PCOS. 

• Cardio isn’t a good idea if you have PCOS 
• Walking and yoga are the best exercises for PCOS. 
• High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is okay in short workouts, but be careful not to overdo it. 
• The reason you aren’t losing weight is because you’re working out too hard. 
• The reason you aren’t having regular ovulatory periods is because of your exercise program. 

Sound familiar? 

[02:15] 

You will never hear or see me telling you false information to get you to sign up for one of my programs. What I just can’t stand is using promises of not needing to sweat or telling women that their workouts are harmful to their health. Then “here is a better option” in order to entice them to buy something. 

[03:24] 

The suggestion that you need to be careful, puts us in an inactive mode, like we don’t know what to do, we don’t know what to do next, so we do nothing. 

[05:44] 

Understanding your primary PCOS root cause is always very important, and if you are having a stress response, it is worth looking at how exercise might be fitting into that? 

[06:59] 

But ultimately we focus on listening and learning for yourself and taking your own feedback and learning how to interpret that so that it works for you. It’s about discovering, trying, taking action, tweaking, adjusting, making it better, and working with your body. 

[09:20] 

It is completely different for every person and every situation, and it changes as that person’s fitness improves or lessens. So it’s completely NOT static. And there’s definitely no one size fits all when it comes to exercise. But I can tell you what has worked best for me and what has not worked for me over the last 20-plus years of me trying to stay healthy and fit and feeling good in my body. 

[13:31] 

So I had this four-month wait. I’m like, you know what? What the heck? I am going to get super healthy. I’m not worried about a specific weight or anything, but I’m just going to focus on my health. My mental health is going to be better if I exercise.

My physical health is going to be better if I exercise. And if I’m heading into infertility treatments, I need to be at my best. 

[16:24] 

When we think okay, don’t exercise too hard. What is the best type of exercise? And here I’ve given you some examples of how it has fit into my life. But what is it really that we’re looking for? 

[17:25] 

But if I compared myself to where I was two weeks ago, I was doing really good. The fact that I was out there was a win. And so changing that mindset is huge.

Resources & References Mentioned in this episode

Get your FREE copy of the PCOS Fertility Meal guide

Take the PCOS Root cause quiz to learn what your body needs to heal

References:

Hormonal adaptation and the stress of exercise training: the role of glucocorticoids

The Effects of Acute Exercise on Mood, Cognition, Neurophysiology, and Neurochemical Pathways: A Review

Effects of supervised aerobic training on the levels of anti-Mullerian hormone and adiposity measures in women with normo-ovulatory and polycystic ovary syndrome

Quality of Life in Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome after a Program of Resistance Exercise Training

Inflammation and exercise: Inhibition of monocytic intracellular TNF production by acute exercise via β2-adrenergic activation

High-Intensity Interval Training Reduces Inflammation Associated with Rheumatoid Arthritis

Results are not guaranteed. Please see Medical Disclaimer for more detail.

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