July 30th, 2010
Did you known women with PCOS have a greater chance of developing several serious disorders, including type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease?
Recent studies found that:
- Before the age of 40, more than 50% of women with PCOS will have type 2 diabetes or pre-diabetes. The latter is a reversible form of impaired glucose tolerance, which, if neglected, can lead to type 2 diabetes.
- Women with PCOS have a four to seven times higher risk of heart attack than women of the same age without PCOS.
- Women with PCOS are at greater risk of having heart-damaging high blood pressure.
- Women with PCOS have high levels of LDL “bad” cholesterol and low levels of HDL “good” cholesterol, which can lead to a stroke.
Fortunately, the symptoms of polycystic ovarian syndrome can be improved and even reversed via a nutritious diet and regular exercise to lose or better control weight, which, in turn, helps to restore the hormonal imbalance caused by PCOS.
July 29th, 2010
A dilemma for early exercisers is how to drag themselves out of bed while allowing enough time to eat a meal for energy before a workout. Many prefer a morning rather that an evening workout to better control weight for improved management of PCOS symptoms. But if you’re an early bird, it’s unlikely you will have the motivation or even the appetite for an omelet with toast and oatmeal. You can, however, still fuel up.
First, choose easily digested foods so you can eat just before exercising without feeling discomfort. Fruit and wholegrain toast are good choices, though remember to eat carbohydrate-rich wholegrains in modest amounts so as not to risk increasing insulin resistance, which is often an underlying cause of PCOS. Whatever you do eat, make sure to chew it thoroughly to aid the digestive process.
Next, consume some calories during your workout. Try drinking Vitamin Water.
Eat again within 30 minutes to two hours after a long workout, choosing carbs with a little protein (nuts, yogurt and fruit, peanut butter on a bagel, oatmeal etc.)
That way you’ll boost the enzymes which help replenish the carbs in your muscles that are depleted during a workout. As a result, you’ll be well stocked-up for the rigors of the day.
July 28th, 2010
Many PCOS working women who exercise early in the morning to improve weight control find themselves suffering energy level crashes later in the morning. That’s because they don’t feel like eating a healthy breakfast before exercising and don’t have time for one before going on to work.
It’s normal to wake up and not be hungry in the morning. Depending on when you last ate the night before, your body has gone from six to 12 hours without food. Since your body still burns calories while you sleep, many of the carbohydrates stored in your liver are metabolized throughout the night to provide energy.
This can put you in a mild state of ketosis when you wake up in the morning, which involves a slightly higher ratio of fat being converted to blood sugar. One of the side effects is a diminished appetite.
But don’t be fooled. Just because you don’t feel hungry, it doesn’t mean your body can skip an intake of fuel to set you up for the day.
In fact, if you jump straight into strenuous exercise in the morning, you need food to power you through it. The fact that you feel so depleted after the workout is proof.
Advice tomorrow on what to eat to avoid an energy crash.
July 27th, 2010
Women with PCOS are prone to the onset of pre-diabetes. But one of the tricky aspects of the latter disorder is that it often appears to have no symptoms until it has developed into type 2 diabetes.
However, there are signs to watch for, especially darkened areas of skin. This is a condition called acanthosis nigricans and common areas that may be affected include the neck, armpits, elbows, knees and knuckles.
Also, milder forms of classic red flags for type 2 diabetes may be a sign of pre-diabetes. These include:
- increased thirst
- frequent urination
- fatigue
- blurred vision
See a doctor if you find yourself experiencing any of these conditions. Type 2 diabetes is a serious condition, which is irreversible in most cases and may require daily injections of insulin.
Fortunately, pre-diabetes, which usually precedes the type 2 variety, can be reversed, via a balanced, nutritious diet and regular exercise resulting in weight loss or better weight control.
