Hey Everybody! This is Karen with Wellness Works NW. You know, when we were first starting we were really thinking about the people we really wanted to help, kind of our target group of people, and we want to help everybody because we love everybody but we decided on the chronically ill because this is a group of people who really have to keep going. They really need to have a Wellness Plan to keep it together and thrive. We don’t want people to just make it through, we want them to thrive and that is why we talk so much about the chronically ill. And all of us, we are either chronically ill, ourself, or we know someone who is chronically ill.
Today we are talking about an illness called PCOS. As a matter of fact, September is PCOS Awareness Month. PCOS stands for Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. PCOS is a series of very painful symptoms that affect the ovaries. A lot of women have PCOS, and they may not even know it. A regular ovary that is sitting there doing just fine but in a woman that has PCOS, they have an ovary that has little pockets in it that makes them have very painful menstrual cycles and many other symptoms.
Now Jamie Holloway, our Research Manager has written a wonderful article about PCOS that I want you to read. Just go to: Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) Awareness Month
I am just going to go over a few things about PCOS for you so that if you know someone or if you, yourself has it, you can be aware. When a woman has PCOS, their body creates too much male hormones. These hormones are called Androgens, that help with the male reproductive system, which is fine for males, and females have them too but not at the level of woman with PCOS. This causes problems with their ovaries. We have a friend that has PCOS and for years, she and her husband were trying to have kids without success, but by changing her meal plan and managing her stress levels, she was able to give birth to a beautiful little girl. It took years, but she did it and she did with a great meal plan.
If you have been diagnosed with PCOS and you want to have children and actually give birth, don’t give up. Make sure to read Jamie’s article which gives much more detail about this syndrome. It is not the end of the world, but this is a very painful disease, so if you know someone who has this, know they are struggling but there are ways to reach your goals.
So when we were talking about the ovaries of women who have PCOS, they have pockets that are collections of fluids called follicles that makes it hard for their ovaries to release their eggs so she can become pregnant. But there are ways to overcome this. So you want to talk to your doctor about ways you can overcome the difficulties of becoming pregnant that you might have.
I don’t want you to lose hope. This disease effects a lot people and for a long time, like Fibromyalgia, it wasn’t a real disease, but now we know that it is. This is what happens when we have enough advocacy. This is a good thing. If you are suffering out there, don’t give up. There is a lot if information out there to learn from and get a good plan going for you.
You knew I was going to get to that. You do need a great meal plan, especially if you are intending to get pregnant, but you also need to exercise. Exercise is really important…
So get up…I know you want to do this. Let’s do a little stretching. Especially if you have PCOS because there are pains that are always there, but you need to move. This exercise is meant for the thighs. It is called the Hip Side Step. You start in a crouching stance with your feet hip width apart and your hands on your hips. Side step twice and then stop and squat. Then lets stretch it out. Next we want to do a deep stretch. Spread your legs and lean forward to touch the floor to stretch those thighs. Also lunges are a great way to work the inside of your thighs. Go as far as you can go, if you can only lunge a little bit, that is ok.
If you have any questions please email me. I am sending all kinds of positive prayers and vibes. You can do this!
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Karen G. Clemenson is not a doctor or a scientist. She is a real person that eats too much sometimes and misses her workout on occasion but is mindful of her path toward wellness, all the time.
Karen understands that your physical wellness does not begin and end with your membership to a local gym. She knows that weight loss management begins with steps; some small and some large. These steps include diet, physical activity and retraining of the thoughts and habits that keep you from being successful on your path toward wellness.
