How to Exercise with PCOS.
We've all been told to eat less and exercise more in order to create a calorie deficit to burn calories and loose weight. However, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a hormonal condition with lots of factors at play. Since the hormones are playing a major role in regulating your metabolism, a simple caloric deficit may not work how it normally should.
Those with PCOS may find themselves driven towards high-intensity exercises such as running, cycling and things like “BoxFit” or “F45” in an effort to loose weight. Doing these exercises often and for long sessions can lead to over-exercising. This is also a potential enabler of inflammation and inflammatory driven conditions in the body.
This can be a really tough fact to stomach, especially when doing high-intensity is something you enjoy and believe that it is helping you. With this mindset, you might likely to push yourself even harder especially if you are not seeing the results you wanted compared to those around you.
1. You are probably not burning as many calories as you think you are
This study from 2021 shows that our bodies have a tendency to compensate for at least quarter of the calories we expend during exercise. Say you burn 100 calories walking 1.6km. This does not necessarily mean you would burn another 100 for the second 1.6km. Our bodies would dial back overall calorie burning in an attempt to protect the body from starvation.
This compensation increases in people that have higher levels of body fat - from a quarter to a half. This undermines our efforts to lose weight. The findings are similarly conclusive to other meta-analyses and research papers. In fact, our hunter-gatherers ancestors were found to burn the same amount of calories as relatively sedentary western men and women.
2. Stress & Prolonged Exercising Aren’t Helping You
Cortisol is one of the primary hormones involved in the body's stress response which is released when the body thinks it is under duress which can be physical or mental in nature. It increases sugars (glucose) in your bloodstream and helps your brain to use this quickly while sending your muscles what they require for tissue repair.
Exercise can also causes cortisol levels to rise. When we combine that with our modern society stressors, high pressure jobs, under-eating or food restricting, and living on caffeine and sugars, it’s challenging to get the health results you are looking for.
When your cortisol levels are elevated over a prolonged amount of time alongside other stress hormones, which can occur with high intensity exercise, and chronic stress, this can cause a variety of negative health effects. They may include weight gain, harsher period pains, anxiety and depression, fatigue, sleep disturbances, heart disease, muscle tension, digestive problems and brain fog.
3. How should I be Exercising?
Exercise plays an integral role in reversing PCOS. It is just about finding the right ones to do.
a) Short Training Sessions
You want to be incorporating short high intensity interval training (HIIT) sessions or resistance exercises such as using resistance bands. These last from 15-20 minutes (up to 1-3 days per week). HIIT training involves lifting heavy things, sprinting but for very short periods. With long periods of rest between different exercises in a session.
b) Staying physically active throughout the day
Build movement and exercise into your day. This involves going for a walk during lunchtime, commuting to work, attending to household chores, or getting a standing desk to give a few examples. By doing so, you are burning calories throughout the day without increasing cortisol levels. This will help keep your cortisol levels in check, reduce inflammation and combat insulin resistance.
c) Make time every day to relax
This can look like meditation, yoga, reading a book with a cup of tea or just having a good laugh with friends and family. Finding your zen is just as important as exercise - if not more important. This is a great way to reduce cortisol levels and improve overall quality of life.
In summary, take it easy! Listen to your body and it is okay to take time to slow down.
Need help with PCOS?
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