If you’ve been listening to the podcast for a while, you’ll know that I used to be an elite triathlete competing nationally and internationally while I was growing up, so exercise has always been a massive part of my life. I mean I have a degree in exercise science too, so you could say I’m a pretty big fan of getting my body moving!

For me, I wasn’t losing any weight despite training for hours a day and eating well. It didn’t make any sense, and given my background you think I should’ve been able to figure it out right? Cue the wild goose chase (that lasted years) of me researching, speaking to specialists and the like, trying to figure out what the HECK was going on. Because things just didn’t add up!

So now that I have the hindsight and a lot more experience in the field some 10 years later, I wanted to shed some more light on exercise and PCOS. 

I know a lot of you are in the same position that I was years ago doing all the “right things” but not getting anywhere, in fact it was seemingly making my symptoms worse! I also touch on how to stop giving up before you see results (well, what personally works for me, if I knew what worked for everyone I’d probably be rolling in $$$ and relaxing on a sunny beach somewhere!) as well as a question I hear all of the time: “why are my blood tests coming back normal if I still have symptoms?”.

I hope when you’re listening that this resonates with you, sometimes you just need one comment or nugget of information to switch on that light and have an ‘Aha!’ moment.

This episode is for you if:

• You’re exercising a lot and not losing any weight
• You’re exhausted after a workout
• You’re worried your PCOS means you’ll have to give up endurance sports / running etc forever
• Is yoga helpful for women with PCOS?
• How do I stop giving up before I see results?
• Why are my blood tests saying things are normal if I still have symptoms?

Some things we cover in this episode:

• What the best type of exercise is best with PCOS is
• How to deal when your ‘stress bucket’ is overflowing
• HPA Axis Dysfunction
• Why PCOS can actually be an advantage when it comes to exercise
• Exercise and your menstrual cycle
• Low Energy Availability and Female Athletes
• Why your blood tests may come back normal when you know something is wrong

Relevant Episodes:

• Season 5 Episode 6: The long term effects of not addressing our insulin resistance with Professor Grant Schofield
• Season 5 Episode 7: I’m already living a healthy lifestyle, why do I still have symptoms?!
• Season 3 Episode 3: More is not better when it comes to exercise

Links to our programs:

• The PCOS Protocol
• Eggducated