Keep Your New Year Goals Realistic and Improve Your PCOS Health

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!

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Even the Least Active Can Be Motivated to Move – PCOS Tip

Health professionals are able to motivate even the most inactive people to increase the amount of exercise they get, says a study.
 
But researchers found that exercise advice had to be tailored to individual needs to have the desired effect. Adopting a “one size fits all” policy is not as effective as the personalized approach.
 
With the right advice, however, people with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome can be motivated to exercise enough via walking to enjoy significant health benefits such as reducing the risk of developing heart disease, Diabetes and some cancers.
 
Dr. David Ogilvie, lead author of a Scottish study featured in the British Medical Journal, says people should be offered a range of options to encourage them to walk regularly.
 
Face-to-face advice from healthcare professionals could be useful in enabling patients’ needs to be assessed and individual advice given in response. Some people might also find group discussions about exercise to be motivating, especially in connection with the benefits of PCOS weight loss to health and general well-being.
 
“We can’t point to a silver bullet that will promote walking for everyone, but we have found evidence that different approaches can be effective,” added Dr. Ogilvie.

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Stay Sharp by Toning Your Brain – PCOS Tip

Giving your mental capabilities a regular workout could help you significantly slow down a decline in brain power as the years pass by.
 
Long-term studies show that some minds stay relatively sharp while other fade dramatically. The key difference may stem from the extent to which each brain is challenged throughout life, says psychology professor Shlomo Breznitz.
 
“People who engage in challenging tasks – not just at work but during leisure activities such as reading, crossword puzzles, bridge, chess and travel – tend to slow down their the mental ageing process,” added Professor Breznitz, the forrmer president of Israel’s University of Haifa.
 
State-of-the-art imaging techniques have allowed scientists to watch parts of the brain, which had seemed dormant, suddenly light up in response to new stimuli. In theory, this means brain decay can be halted and even reversed.
 
But to be effective, mental activity must be progressively challenging, otherwise the brain quickly adjusts and learns to perform familar or repetitive tasks with less effort.
 
The brain constantly re-wires and re-calibrates itself. As a result, it re-makes itself into a more efficient operating device in order to tackle new and challenging tasks that mentally active people think up for their brains to perforrm.
 
Regular mental stimulation is thought by some doctors to help stave off cognitive decline diseases like Alzheimer’s when combined with a balanced, nutritious diet and regular exercise to promote healthy blood supply to the brain by avoiding excess PCOS weight gain.
 
Diet and exercise can help reverse an underlying cause of obesity, namely the imbalance of blood glucose and insulin called Insulin Resistance. By reversing Insulin Resistance, you can facilitate PCOS weight loss.

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Mix and Match Your Weights for Better PCOS

Lifting weights to boost muscle strength and cardiovascular health has a crucial role to play in any all-round Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome exercise program.
 
But keep in mind that both light and heavier weights have their place in helping you to manage your PCOS weight and greatly improve your fitness.
 
To gain strength, your muscles have to be challenged to the point of fatigue. To get to that point, most people can use heavier weights for eight repetitions or do between 12 and 20 reps with lighter weights.
 
Not surprisingly, light and heavy weights have different effects. Heavy weights build muscle mass, while the lighter variety help with toning and building endurance.
 
Actually, the best way to achieve maximum results is to combine the two types of weight. So try using light weights for a whole session one day and then switch to heavier weights for the next workout and so on.
 
Or start a session with light weights and switch to a heavier version mid-way thorough the time period that you’ve allotted for your workout.
 
If you’re new to lifting weights, build your strength up slowly and always consult a doctor before beginning a strenuous new regime.

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