What Changes Have I Made to Help with My PCOS?

It is September which means that it is Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome Awareness Month!  I am hoping to bring more awareness to this syndrome and help educate you along the way.  I am not a doctor or a nutritionist.  I am a woman who was diagnosed early in life and has been learning about my diagnosis ever since.  If you have specific questions, you can, of course, ask them, and I will do my best to answer.  However, I would encourage you to take them to your doctor as well.

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Yesterday, I shared the treatment options for Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome.  There are many different medications that can be used to treat the symptoms.  One of the best treatments that I have found is to change diet and exercise.  So how have I changed my lifestyle?

I personally have chosen to go a more holistic route when helping with my symptoms.  I don't think there is anything wrong with medications, and if you choose to use medications to help your symptoms, I think that is fine.  For me personally, I wanted to see what I could do without the help of medication.  That is what led me to finally go off of birth control pills.

I started my health and fitness journey a little over four years ago when I wanted to get rid of my headaches.  I had a daily headache since I was in the second grade.  I started getting migraines when I was in sixth grade, and quite frankly, I was tired of them.  Slowly, I realized that I was living a very unhealthy life and needed to make a change.

There are four main things that I've done to change the way I'm living now:

1.  I changed the way I eat.  Food is meant to be fuel for our bodies.  I had to understand that. So when looking to see which diet was best for women with PCOS, I quickly realized that it was going to be a huge change and not just a 30-day diet.  It was stated that no dairy, gluten, soy, or sugar would be a great place to start.  My diet has struggled, but I found Whole30 which has radically transformed the way that I live and eat.  I found a vegan superfood shake that incorporates specific supplements that help with PCOS symptoms.  I drink it daily, and I feel great about that choice!  The biggest change that I made was that I became a health and fitness coach so that I could have accountability...no just for 30 days, but every day.
   
2. I work out minutes a day.  I hate working out.  When I first started, I wasn't really that committed.  I would work out for a few days in a row, then take a couple weeks off.  Last February, I decided that I was going to be committed to myself.  I was going to follow a workout calendar, and I would do the workout that it says.  Since then, I've been working out for 20 months straight, with only one or two rest days a week.  I've not skipped weeks, and it has been amazing to see the change in my cardiovascular health.
   
3. I changed the products that I use.  Within the last several months, I started to change the products that I use.  From household cleaners to shower products, to oral health, and makeup.  I've changed it all.  I decided that I didn't need any help with making my hormones whacky, and I can simply do that all on my own--thank you, PCOS.  The one thing that I look for and have changed in my products:  no endocrine disrupters.  I look for parabens and fragrance/parfum in the ingredient list.  I've also been adding essential oils to my routine, but that is another story for another day.
   
4. Lastly, I found my identity.  This may sound strange to you, but over the course of the years, I lost who I was.  We moved three times in the first couple years of marriage.  When my Granny passed away, I was completely broken, and we moved yet again. That was a defining moment for me in my life.  So when we got settled, I knew that I needed to figure it out.  God convicted me of clearing out my schedule so that I could have a time specifically for Him.  It was in that time that I figured out who I am.I'm currently reading a book called, "She's Still There," by Chrystal Evans Hurst, and in it, she says this:

It's not enough to know you are a unique, divinely created soul.  You must believe it.  And to believe it, ou must choose to remember what you already know--or learn what you don't.  Then you must choose to rehearse the idea of your value until it becomes so ingrained in your mind that it affects what you do, how you think, and the way you respond to what has occured in your life, whether you caused it or not.

When you know who you are and you truly believe it, you exude confidence in other areas of your life.

Those are the few things that I have made changes to, but these things have made a huge impact on my life.  I find mysef feeling good.  I feel good on the inside, and I feel good on the outside.  To me, that's what matters.

You can make these changes, too!  Start slowly and work on one thing at a time.  Pretty soon, you'll be feeling the best you ever have as well!  If I can help you in any way, with workouts, a healthy eating plan, or a quiet time, please reach out!  That's what I'm here for.

If you know someone who could benefit from reading this blog, by all means, share it!  After all, sharing is caring and greatly appreciated!