Dealing with PCOS: Bloating, water retention, insulin resistance, anxiety

Sometimes I get super sensitive writing posts about PCOS because it can be a lonely place and it reminds me of my condition.

It's a known fact that Dubai has the highest rate of PCOS ever recorded so I write this in the hope that someone is reading it and knows that they aren't alone, that they are actually in the majority not the minority.

Everyone has different symptoms and everyone has different levels of the condition. I wrote another post which you can read here that talks about food as my medicine which I continue to preach. 
Today's blog is dedicated to a couple of my instagram followers who have asked regarding different things I do or what I incorporate into my life to help manage PCOS and get better fitness results.

Below are 3 things I want to highlight that have made a huge difference. 


SUPPLEMENTS

Please note that the below supplements have been professionally advised by my coach, Luke Mass McNally, can't thank him enough!

Acetyl L-Carnitine (ACL) - I have this every morning which helps with brain function and also manages my sugar levels. Most of the cells in your body contain carnitine, which your liver and kidneys make. It helps your cells produce energy and also can help the body use insulin more effectively. Given a PCOS sufferer is prone to insulin resistance, thus making it tougher for us to lose weight, this really helps!

P5P - This wonderful supplement has made HUGE difference to my water retention. P5P is the active co-enzyme form of B6. If you have ever been to a gynecologist and mentioned you have water retention they will put you on B6 but take my advice and switch it to P5P! 

Your body requires this supplement for various functions including muscle growth and repair, neurotransmitter functions and energy metabolism. It also helps balance your sodium and potassium levels - tada! water retention reduced.

DIM - This supplement has been buzzing a lot in the fitness industry and unfortunately not sourced in Dubai, well I haven't found it yet so have shipped it from overseas.
DIM is a food based compound found in cruciferous vegetables like broccolli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts and broccoli. DIM can also stimulate fat breakdown and encourage an increase in muscle mass - ultimately modulates estrogen metabolism. This balancing of my hormones has also reduced my PMS symptoms.

INFRARED SAUNA

Now this is new to me too. My coach started to incorporate this into my diet and there were only a few places in Dubai that had it. I go to Queens Beauty Lounge in Dubai Marina and they sell a package of 6x 30minute sessions for AED 750.
An infrared sauna is a sauna that uses light to create heat. A traditional sauna uses heat to warm the air, which in turn warms your body. A infrared sauna heats your body directly without warming the air around you. Benefits include detoxification, pain relief, weight loss, improved circulation and skin purification. I know this doesn't directly relate to PCOS however I always have a holistic approach to my health and it's part of my "my time" routine.

REST

This by far it the most important - "My time".
PCOS sufferers tend to have slightly higher levels of testosterone so we are prone to storing more belly fat so yes when we bloat it looks like we're about to give birth to twins! We are also susceptible to higher levels of the lovely stress hormone, cortisol creating anxiety and all kind of mood swings.

The best way to reduce cortisol is to meditate, sleep in a dark room, play some soothing music, yoga, remove negativity from you life, stop always checking your phone and yes sex. The health benefits of sex is enormous, that intimacy releases so many positive hormones. Despite it being a taboo subject we are human and need feel good intimacy.

I really hope someone reads this and it helps in some way. I too at times still get down when my PCOS flares up but I don't dwell on it. The biggest advice I can give anyone is enough with the negative talk and be patient with your results they will come! It maybe slower than others but you will get there no doubt.

Yours truly,

PCOS warrior of Dubai

x

Taking the leap.. Will I make the jump?

No doubt we dream about moving to a foreign location and freeing ourselves from our mundane routines. As human beings we have the potential to disentangle ourselves from old habits and have the capacity to wake up and live consciously yet we also have a strong inclination to stay asleep.

It’s as if we are always at a crossroad, continuously choosing which way to go. Moment by moment we can choose to go toward further clarity and happiness or toward confusion and pain.

We hold onto this greater faith that gives us hope that everything is happening for a reason, that our spiritual connection to the greater universe will lead us to something better, that everything that we didn't receive was not meant for us. That when God takes away something from our hand, he isn't punishing us, he is merely emptying our hands to receive something better.

Moving away from home was one of the biggest spiritual decisions I've ever made. I moved away from family and friends and always live in fear that that's the last time I will see their face, that I'm missing out on valuable irreplaceable time but I took that leap of faith and followed that inner instinct and here I am in Dubai 'livin' that dream', that dream of moving to a foreign country freeing myself from old habits.

Will I make the jump? I don't know, that's what I'm here to discover...