5 Lifestyle Changes That Calmed My PCOS Symptoms
5 Lifestyle Changes That Calmed My PCOS Symptoms
Have you been diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS)? Symptoms including irregular cycles, acne, weight gain and painful periods can leave you feeling miserable.
Your doctor might have offered you medication to ease symptoms – but that’s not all that is available to you. In fact, the biggest impact on your PCOS is something you’re 100% in control of: your lifestyle.
Nearly 6 years ago, I was diagnosed with PCOS (you can watch my initial journey here). At first, it really shook me to find out that my body wasn’t as ‘healthy’ as I thought. But it was also a wake-up call to start making some changes to my lifestyle.
Getting my PCOS under control wasn’t something that happened overnight.
It took about 2 years to get to the point where my cycle was regular, I lost the fat I had gained and I could build muscle. So if you’re on the journey of healing your PCOS symptoms, I don’t want you to get disappointed if you don’t see results straight away!
When I look back, there were 5 big lifestyle shifts that made the biggest difference in my PCOS symptoms.
Making sleep a top priority
One of the first changes I made was to get more sleep. When we sleep, our bodies have the chance to repair, replenish and reset. It reboots the nervous system and improves insulin sensitivity (a big focus area for most with PCOS)
Sleep issues and disorders are more common in people with PCOS compared to the average population. This can leave you more prone to weight gain, high blood pressure, increased stress, depression and anxiety, as well as reducing your productivity and energy levels.
My goal is to get 9hrs sleep per night. This isn’t always achievable – sometimes I might be out for dinner with friends, other times the dogs might wake me up! But if I aim for 9 hours as a rule, I can get plenty of rest and allow for flexibility as needed.
Regular meditation
You can’t address PCOS without looking at the effect that stress has on the body. Chronic stress can increase your insulin resistance and inflammation (both of which play a role in PCOS). It can also throw off the balance of hormones by affecting your thyroid hormones and suppressing sex hormones such as progesterone.
One simple way to work on stress management is with mindfulness and meditation, which is the path I chose to take. Studies have found that mindfulness techniques can be useful for improving quality of life for those with PCOS, as well as relieving stress, anxiety and depression.
Not keen on meditation? Make sure you include some form of regular stress management to help with your PCOS symptoms. You can see my top tips for addressing stress here.
Ditching the high-intensity exercise
Now don’t get me wrong with this one – HIIT has its place in the fitness world. But when I was diagnosed with PCOS, I had to prioritise hormone balance over everything else. HIIT can spike cortisol levels, which is already an issue for those with PCOS.
However, I knew exercise was still an important foundation for managing my symptoms. So I focused on two core forms of movement:
Resistance training – increasing my muscle mass helped to increase my metabolism, shift body fat and increase insulin sensitivity
Low-intensity cardio – an alternative to HIIT that didn’t heap stress hormones on top of my already stressed out body and mind!
Focusing meals on protein & fibre
My diet was a big part of the changes I made to tackle my PCOS. I chose to take a ketogenic diet approach for the first 11 months, but it was an extreme route to take.
Long-term, it wasn’t sustainable for me as I lost too much weight and wasn’t able to achieve my fitness goals, so I transitioned off keto.
Nowadays, my focus is to have a source of protein and a source of fibre with every meal. These two nutrients help to balance my blood sugars, keep me energised for longer and support my hormone regulation.
For protein, my go-tos include chicken, whey protein (an easy way to up the protein for sweet dishes like smoothies and oats), barramundi and salmon.
For fibre, I like to include a combination of fruit and veggies, wholegrains, nuts, seeds and legumes.
Minimising caffeine & alcohol
These days, I rarely consume caffeine or alcohol – usually, it’s only a few times per year on average. I felt so much better when I cut them out of my regular routine!
Alcohol is a dense source of energy, it dehydrates you and depletes nutrients, so it’s something that is best left for special occasions.
Caffeine has a few more benefits to offer. But between the effects on the nervous system, the potential to disrupt my sleep, and the extra burden on the liver, it just wasn’t worth it for me anymore. Instead, I focused on increasing my energy without relying on caffeine.
I know that reducing caffeine and alcohol to my level might not be for everyone! But even if you drop your intake by 25-50% of your current amount, it can make a big difference.
Are you struggling with your PCOS symptoms?
Download my PCOS Action Plan here - it’s free!
✔ Get an easy meal idea sheet that you can draw ideas from to help reverse PCOS symptoms, lose fat, and start to feel in control of your own body again.
✔ Learn the best foods to always have on hand in your pantry to get the most out of your nutrition.
✔ Discover what kind of PCOS you have and how this impacts what approach you should use treat your symptoms.
✔ Stop feeling out of control with your body and learn how to manage your PCOS, for good!
Hey there, I’m Rachel!
NUTRITIONIST, PERSONAL TRAINER, WELLNESS COACH
Here I share healthy recipe ideas, training plans, and nutrition & wellness advice you need to know.
Check out my free guide to healthy eating to design your own version of a healthy lifestyle so that you can feel energised and vibrant, or hire me to work my magic on your health through mindset, nutrition, and movement.
While we make every effort to make sure the information in this website is accurate and informative, the information does not take the place of medical advice.