Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common endocrine condition affecting an estimated 8 to 13 percent of women of reproductive age. This hormonal imbalance can lead to a variety of symptoms, including irregular periods, ovarian cysts, and metabolic dysfunction. While PCOS presents numerous challenges, incorporating regular exercise into your lifestyle can significantly improve your overall well-being and help manage its symptoms.
Why Exercise is a Game-Changer for PCOS
Exercise offers benefits far beyond weight loss for women with PCOS. A structured PCOS workout plan can help balance hormones, improve insulin sensitivity, reduce stress, and promote mental well-being. Physical fitness is critically important for women with PCOS, and a tailored exercise plan can address many symptoms, including weight gain, mood swings, and irregular periods.
Here’s why exercise is crucial:
- Regulates insulin sensitivity: Insulin resistance is a common issue in women with PCOS, affecting the body's ability to use blood sugar for energy. Consistent workouts improve how your body processes sugar, lowering your risk of type 2 diabetes.
- Balances hormones: Exercise reduces testosterone levels, helping to alleviate symptoms like acne and hair growth.
- Supports mental health: PCOS often brings anxiety or depression, but physical activity boosts endorphins for a better mood.
- Facilitates weight management: A combination of strength training and cardio can make weight loss achievable and sustainable.
Research from the Journal of Science and Medicine in Sports highlights that regular exercise has also been found to positively affect ovarian function in individuals with PCOS.
Understanding PCOS and Exercise
Women with PCOS experience higher rates of insulin resistance compared to women who don’t have the condition. Not all women with PCOS are overweight, but the good news is that physical exercise is something you can do for your health regardless of your weight.
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Best Workouts for PCOS
A well-rounded PCOS workout plan should incorporate a variety of exercises to address different aspects of the condition. Here's a breakdown of some of the most effective types of workouts:
Strength Training for PCOS
PCOS strength training workouts help build lean muscle and improve metabolic health.
Benefits of strength training include:
- Increasing calorie burn even at rest.
- Enhancing insulin sensitivity.
- Reducing belly fat, a common concern for women with PCOS.
Examples of strength training exercises:
- Bodyweight exercises: Push-ups, squats, and lunges.
- Resistance bands: Perfect for home workouts to add extra resistance.
- Gym equipment: Deadlifts, bench presses, and cable machines for more advanced strength building.
Cardio Workouts for PCOS
Cardio is a cornerstone of any PCOS workout routine because it supports heart health and helps with weight loss. Choose low- to moderate-intensity cardio to avoid spiking cortisol levels.
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Examples of cardio exercises:
- Walking (30-45 minutes daily).
- Cycling or elliptical machines at a steady pace.
- Swimming for a full-body, joint-friendly workout.
Combining cardio with strength training in your workout plan for PCOS weight loss yields the best results.
Flexibility and Stress-Relief Exercises
Stress management is essential for women with PCOS, as high cortisol levels can make PCOS symptoms worse. Incorporating flexibility exercises like yoga and Pilates into your PCOS workout routine helps reduce stress, improve flexibility, and support hormone balance.
Recommended practices:
- Yoga poses like child's pose and downward dog.
- Pilates routines focusing on core stability.
- Deep breathing exercises to enhance relaxation.
High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
High-intensity interval training (HIIT) involves balancing intense exercise bursts with rest intervals. Typical exercises in a HIIT workout include things like burpees, tuck jumps, and mountain climbers. A study published in the journal PLOS ONE found that women with obesity reported greater enjoyment of HIIT exercises compared to those who engaged in continuous moderate to vigorous exercise. Enjoyment of exercise is an important factor for sticking with a routine long-term.
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Interval Training
Interval training is a way to exercise at different intensity levels, but not necessarily to the heart rate max you do with HIIT. This training type often involves doing different exercises in the same session to keep your heart rate up.
Mind-Body Exercises
Studies show that women with PCOS have an enhanced bodily response to stress and distress, according to an article in the journal Physical Exercise for Human Health. Mind-body exercises like yoga, Pilates, and tai chi can help not only burn calories, but also reduce stress levels that worsen your PCOS symptoms.
Sample PCOS Workout Plans
Here are a couple of sample workout plans to get you started, whether you prefer exercising at home or in the gym:
PCOS Workout Plan at Home
A home-based PCOS workout plan is ideal for those who prefer flexibility or don’t have access to a gym. Here’s a sample routine:
- Jumping jacks: 1 minute
- Bodyweight squats: 12-15 reps
- Plank hold: 30 seconds
- Side-lying leg lifts: 12 reps per side
- Glute bridges: 15 reps
Tips for success:
- Schedule workouts in your calendar for consistency.
- Track progress by gradually increasing reps or intensity.
- Pair exercises with a healthy diet for optimal results.
PCOS Gym Workout Plan
If you are planning to train at gym, here’s a structured PCOS gym workout plan that combines strength, cardio, and flexibility:
- Warm-up: 5-10 minutes on a treadmill or elliptical.
- Strength training:
- Squats with weights (3 sets of 10 reps).
- Lat pulldowns (3 sets of 12 reps).
- Dumbbell rows (3 sets of 12 reps per side).
- Cardio: 20 minutes on a stationary bike at moderate intensity.
- Cool down: Foam rolling or yoga stretches.
You can use gym equipment like resistance machines to target specific muscle groups effectively.
Creating a Workout Plan for PCOS Weight Loss
When building a workout plan for PCOS weight loss, focus on:
- Strength and cardio combo: Alternate between weightlifting and cardio for optimal fat loss.
- Interval training: Short bursts of high-intensity cardio can maximize calorie burn while preserving lean muscle.
- Rest days: Allow 1-2 rest days per week to support recovery and hormonal balance.
Consistency is key. Even 20-minute sessions can make a difference if done regularly.
Additional Exercise Ideas
Here are some more exercise types to consider:
- Steady-state cardiovascular workouts: These are workouts that get your heart pumping, usually at about 50 to 70 percent of your maximum heart rate, if you are engaging in moderate exercise. You can calculate your maximum heart rate by subtracting your age from 220. Aerobic exercises in this category can include walking, riding a bicycle, dancing, or taking an aerobics class.
- Core strength exercises: It's crucial to incorporate core exercises into your workout regimen to develop the muscles that support your spine. If you're attempting to get pregnant, train your pelvic floor muscles, as they're an essential component of your core that improves pelvic stability, improves sexual health, and combats urine incontinence.
How Exercise Helps PCOS: Beyond Weight Loss
Exercise provides a multitude of benefits for women with PCOS that extend beyond just weight management:
- Enhances Insulin Sensitivity: Studies have shown that regular cardio and strength training can help your body respond to insulin more effectively, reducing your risk for diabetes and other issues.
- Lowers Cholesterol: High triglycerides and cholesterol are more common in PCOS-affected women. The metabolic syndrome, which is also more common in PCOS-affected individuals, can be exacerbated by this. When paired with a healthy, low-fat diet, exercise can help lower cholesterol.
- Increases Endorphins: Depression symptoms are more likely to appear in PCOS women. Your body releases endorphins during exercise, which are hormones that foster emotions of well-being. You can do this to control your stress and lessen some depressive symptoms.
- Hormone Regulation: Your body uses the fat that is already stored in your body as fuel when you burn more calories than you consume, aiding in weight loss and insulin reduction. In addition, having too much fat affects the way estrogen is produced in your body. Getting rid of some of those additional fat deposits will help regulate your hormones and, ideally, PCOS.
Tips for Staying Consistent with Your PCOS Workout Routine
It’s not always easy to form an exercise routine, and it does take time and consistency before it starts becoming second-nature. So, how do we come up with a plan and stick to it?
- Link it to an existing habit: Research has shown that one great way to form a new habit is to link it to an existing one. Consider an activity you do every day (without much thought), then combine it with an exercise. For example, when you brush your teeth, add a wall sit or squats.
- Incorporate balancing poses: Incorporate a balancing pose (like tree) or a yoga pose into your bedtime routine.
- Visualize yourself: Envision yourself doing the exercises. Visualize yourself as someone who craves some sort of exercise and movement. What will you see, smell or hear during a fun (but tough) physical workout?
- Make a fun workout playlist: Add songs that you love and only listen to them if you are working out, so that they feel like a reward.
- Workout in front of the TV: On days you're feeling particularly unmotivated, try working out in front of the TV while watching your favorite show.
- Listen to your body: No matter what type of movement you choose, always listen to your body and do what feels good. Exercise shouldn't feel like punishment. If you like running, run! If it's a kickboxing class, kick it!
Dietary Considerations for PCOS
Researchers have completed several studies regarding the “best” diet types for those with PCOS to follow. The Androgen Excess and PCOS Society used this research to make recommendations for women, which include:
- If overweight, reduce current calorie intake by 500 to 1,000 calories per day.
- Make total fat less than 30 percent of your total source of calories for the day. Saturated fats, like high-fat beef, butter, cheese, and full-fat dairy products, should represent less than 10 percent of your total calorie intake.
- Switch higher-fat foods for fiber, whole-grain breads and cereals, fruits, and “good” sources of fats, such as nuts and avocados.
- Eat less than 200 milligrams of cholesterol a day. Avoid trans fats whenever possible.
- Incorporate an additional 5 to 10 grams of fiber in your diet per day.
If you aren’t sure where to start with incorporating these changes to your diet, talk to your doctor. Your doctor also may recommend seeing a dietitian to create an eating plan specific to women with PCOS.
Try to incorporate the following habits for healthy eating with each meal and snack:
- Let each meal consist of a serving of lean proteins, such as skinless chicken, fish, or tofu.
- Cook with healthful fats, such as olive oil.
- Add a vegetable, such as broccoli, kale, spinach, and peppers.
- Incorporate a serving of beans, nuts, or lentils.
- Choose brightly colored fruits, such as red grapes, blueberries, oranges, and cherries.
- Choose whole-grain bread and pasta options.
Using these guidelines, you can often stay within recommended daily calorie requirements given your overall height, health level, and weight.
The Importance of Consulting Your Doctor
When you have PCOS, it’s always a good idea to talk to your doctor about the lifestyle changes you can make to improve your health. When it comes to exercise for your PCOS, it’s especially important you talk to your doctor if you have other medical conditions that could affect your ability to exercise. Examples include arthritis or heart-related conditions.