December 31st, 2011
Nothing is more likely to wreck good intentions for 2012 than making your PCOS resolutions too ambitious.
So keep things simple and don’t paint yourself into a corner. By all means resolve to eat a healthier Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome diet and get more exercise to lose weight. But aim first to add, say, a couple of extra hours to your exercise regime each week and plan to lose 15 lbs over the whole year by cutting out junk food and eating more vegetables.
By setting modest targets, you’re more likely to achieve them earlier in the year. And when you do reach those targets, you’ll receive a tremendous psychological boost, which will then inspire you to become more adventurous about what you can accomplish.
Positive thinking can be the key to success, so here are a few tips to keep in mind.
Try again. Everyone has made, and broken, past resolutions. But that doesn’t mean you won’t succeed this time. Start with a positive approach, including thinking about what has disrupted your plans in the past. Don’t discourage yourself by adopting a negative outlook.
Choose your own resolution. Make sure this is something that you want to accomplish for yourself and not for friends or family.
Make a plan and write it down. Decide what you’d like to accomplish in three or six months. Writing your goals down is a good way to keep track of your progress.
Forgive yourself. If you get off track, don’t think that you failed. Review your plan and make adjustments.
Congratulate yourself. Reward yourself when your intermediate goals or resolutions are met.
The most important point to consider when choosing your resolutions is to decide if you are truly willing to make changes in your life. Deciding to change just so you have a resolution at the start of a new year will not keep you motivated.
Many people fail because they don’t fully realize how a goal can benefit their everyday lives. But when you can see the prize, you are more likely to keep up the fight.
Happy New Year from Insulite Laboratories!
September 19th, 2011
During the month of September, the Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome Association (PCOSA) and Insulite Labs are working together in raising awareness about Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS); a physically and emotionally devastating hormonal condition suffered by girls as young as eight years old.
Join the Community
In support of this effort, Insulite Labs will donate $1 to the PCOSA for every person that “likes” their Insulite PCOS Facebook page during the month of September. The Insulite PCOS Facebook Community offers their members cutting-edge medical research, informative articles and support for those with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) and those who care about them. As a sign of appreciation to all their Facebook fans, Insulite Labs will also offer special product pricing during September.
Although Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) was first identified in 1935 (as the Stein-Leventhal Syndrome), obtaining an accurate diagnosis of this hormonal problem can be difficult, as the symptoms, and their severity, vary from one woman to the next. While relatively little is still known about PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome), it is estimated that between 5 and 10 percent of females are afflicted with this condition, including females as young as 8 years old!
Read entire Press Release: PCOSA and Insulite Labs: Awareness and Support for the Seven Million Mothers, Sisters and Daughters Living with PCOS in the USA
September 8th, 2011
You know how it is. Advice about the health benefits of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) weight loss via regular exercise comes at you from every angle and you realize it’s time to act. But somehow you still just can’t find the motivation.
Well, don’t worry! Nobody says you have to launch yourself right away into a punishing exercise regime that’s going to leave you permanently exhausted. Work out a plan first which will slowly take you along the road to more energetic activities. That way, you’ll come to regard regular exercise as a normal and welcome part of your daily life. Just imagine the boost you’ll get when you start to feel the greater sense of well-being that PCOS weight loss can bring. Try these simple steps to get motivated:
Buy a notebook and draw a line down the center of a number of pages to write out the pros and cons, as you see them, of starting a regime of, say, regular walking. You may be concerned about how time-consuming and tiring it will be at first. But balance any imagined drawbacks with the sense of achievement you’ll feel when, after a while, you find you can walk further each week. Express any anger, frustration or embarrassment you feel about being overweight – seeing it written down will motivate you to do something positive to improve matters.
Persuade some friends to lose weight with you and make a date at least once a week to walk together. It’s a great way to get fit and shed extra pounds while catching up with what’s been happening in everyone’s lives.
Set small targets. Tell yourself you’ll park the car as far away as possible from the exit to every parking lot to give yourself another excuse to walk. Take the stairs instead of the elevator at work on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Walk everywhere one day a week and make it a different day each week to vary your routine.
Take a photo of yourself at the start of your new regime, so you can compare the “before picture” with the way you look as your weight loss kicks in. Write a daily journal highlighting anything you’ve done that day which will improve your PCOS health.
Immerse yourself in anything that promotes achievement via exercise. Rent the DVD of Oscar-winning British movie Chariots of Fire and then listen again to Vangelis’ inspiring soundtrack on headphones while out walking in the park. Attend a local sporting event. Read a sport magazine or a biography of an athlete like Jesse Owens, whose winning ways infuriated Hitler at the Nuremberg Olympics in 1936, or Roger Bannister, the first man to run a mile in under four minutes, or Tour de France ace Lance Armstrong.
Don’t forget to consult a doctor before starting any exercise regime. Once you’ve received his OK, develop the discipline to stick to your healthy new routine.
It’s an alarming fact that just two days of inactivity can disrupt your body’s efficient use of insulin, which, if left unchecked, may result in the condition called Insulin Resistance. This imbalance of blood glucose and insulin levels can lead to obesity, which is an underlying factor in a variety of disorders. These include the cluster of Cardiovascular Diseases called Metabolic Syndrome, or Syndrome X, and Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), a hormonal imbalance which is a leading cause of female infertility. Insulin Resistance is also an underlying cause of Pre-Diabetes, a reversible disorder which, if neglected, can lead to full-blown, irreversible Type II Diabetes.
August 8th, 2011
Friends can have a huge influence on so many areas of your life. It’s especially true when it comes to meeting your PCOS goal of achieving a greater sense of well being via a healthier lifestyle of exercise and eating a balanced, nutritional diet.
It helps if you and your pals have the same aims. Hanging out with friends who enjoy exercise, for example, can make keeping fit and losing weight feel like fun. You don’t have to spend hours enduring a punishing regime at the gym. Going regularly for a good walk or taking a more ambitious hike together is a great way to exercise and have a pleasant chat at the same time.
Having friends who eat sensibly makes a big difference for those with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. If you’re trying to lose weight, it might be best for a while to avoid pals who like eating junk food. Companions who are careful about their weight will offer advice about what works best for them and their tips could prove useful for your own efforts to get in better shape.
In fact, the best kind of friends will provide essential support for all your hard work and act as cheerleaders every step of the way, regardless of whether or not they’re trying to lose weight themselves. There’s scientific evidence that social support makes a big difference in helping someone recover from illness. So it makes sense to accept that the same is true when someone is trying to improve their well being by adopting a healthier way of life.
An idea is to take a good look at people you spend time with and see who is the best company for you right now. This includes coworkers because, of course, so much of many people’s time is spent at work. Who you eat lunch with during the week and what you eat with them can have a big impact.
It’s best to surround yourself with people who are sympathetic to the reasons why you are trying to lose weight. You need to be able to communicate with them openly and honestly and receive feedback in the same way. It’s a huge help if they know the right moment when to give advice and when not to.
