A beautiful woman with long dark hair and a 10-month old in tow, sat in front of me asking me with tears in her eyes, to help her lose weight. “I can’t take it anymore! My anxiety is at an all-time high and I am just getting more and more depressed every day.” she sobbed. So, as a health and fitness professional, that is what I tried to do. I put together an individualized program for her and we started working.
We tried everything, she was game for anything I asked of her. All she wanted was to be “thin” again. She was miserable, confused, anxious and disappointed and I was frustrated, I was running out of ideas to help her. Month after month, we worked together, with no real results. She was still finding it harder and harder to function. She was sleep deprived, panicky and stressed out all the time. I needed to find something to help her deal with her anxiety and stress.
It was then, that I asked her to visit her doctor and get a full panel of blood tests done. I was thinking something was going on with her thyroid. The results revealed a lot, her hormonal markers such as… FSH (follicle stimulating hormone), TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) and androgens to name a few…were way off the normal mark… Her diagnosis? PCOS. (Poly-Cystic Ovary Syndrome)
She suffered with the following symptoms:
· Irregular and painful menstruation
· Weight gain
· Anxiety and worry
· Increase stress and depression
· Insulin resistance
· Difficulty losing weight
· Acne
· Increased hair growth on face and body (which included a daily ritual of plucking offensive hairs on her face and neck)
Now, knowing that she had PCOS, I began to look for ways to help, because the only advice she was receiving from her own physician, was to limit her carbs, cut out all sugar, exercise more and LOSE WEIGHT… we had already been there and tried that!
I began to research and further my own education on PCOS, stress and anxiety, disordered eating, and body image, because I saw first-hand the amount of stress, pressure and poor self-esteem she was experiencing. These symptoms had to do with much more than just her weight. In order to attack her diagnosis and symptoms from all angles, I became a Certified Intuitive Eating Coach, Yoga Nidra and meditation guide, self-care, self-talk and body image specialist. I knew we had to begin this journey by lowering her stress and anxiety before anything else.
It was from my own research, education and one on one experience that led me to develop a comprehensive program to specifically address her symptoms…A 5-part program that was not geared toward weight loss, as her physicians continued to recommend to her, but one focused on stress, balance, function and joy. This is how...
This Finally! Free, Fit and Fabulous program works for women suffering from PCOS, as well as others struggling with weight, anxiety, stress, food or body image issues.
1. Intuitive and Supportive Eating vs. Calorie Restriction
Diets don’t work. In 1997, Dr. Wayne Wescott wrote about how 95% of dieters regain the weight they lost…Diets, and calorie restriction is not an effective way to lose weight in the long run. Learning the process of trusting the bodies internal hunger and fullness cues and other intuitive eating principles has proven to help people land at a weight that is sustainable and healthy for their bodies. So, this client began listening to what foods gave her energy, foods that digested easily in her system, foods that she LIKED. Eating soon became pleasurable instead of stressful and anxiety provoking for her.
2. Move, Play and Exercise with more JOY! Vs. Traditional Exercise Routines
Disconnecting Exercise with weight loss, calorie burning or changes in body shape is the first step to how moving the body (like we did naturally as children) actually feels. By taking away the “Have to”, the “Should do” and the “Need to” from your exercise program, you begin to release the anxiety that comes from not doing it “right” and you can start to find more enjoyment in just moving. When you find a way to move that you connect with and enjoy, it becomes a WANT TO, which means less stress that surrounds the idea of exercise. When you want to do something, you do it without guilt, without shame, without coercing…it becomes sustainable and ENJOYABLE! Begin trying some new things...maybe Tai Chi, walking with friends or dogs and dancing.
3. Self-Care to Stress-Less
Implementing Self Care is essential in this journey of living with more joy and less anxiety. There is a tendency to think that taking time for yourself is selfish. What I would like you to consider is this: the more you think about putting others first, not being “good enough” or trying to change yourself (through diet and exercise) you increase your stress levels. The more stress you endure both physically (diet/exercise) and emotionally (anxiety, worry, shame, guilt) the higher the levels of cortisol you release. Cortisol signals the body to hold onto weight and it increases anxiety, irritability and depression. Finding time for you, through self-care to lower stress will decrease your cortisol and evens out other your other hormone levels. It is essential to find time to read, pause, journal and meet friends for coffee, and notice if your stress and anxiety begin to lower.
4. Implementing Positive Self Talk instead of harsh self-criticism
We all live with an inner critic. I call mine my “mini-me” and she pops out whenever I am feeling “less than”. Our internal thoughts and mindset effects everything we do. The women I meet think about weight, lack of willpower, what they could and couldn’t eat, what they could or couldn’t wear and how much of a failure they feel like. (the mini-me talking). All of this negative self-talk only increases panic attacks and heightens anxiety levels. Through finding a new positive inner voice (your “maxi-me”) You will begin to tell yourself that you are worthy and deserving of self-love, self-compassion and self-confidence and because of this switch, you will also find yourself taking risks and empowering others to as well.
5. “Body AA”. Acceptance and Appreciation of the here and now body VS. Body hatred and body shame.
Implementing appreciation and acceptance of your “today’s” body is one that takes time and patience. It is especially important for women suffering from PCOS. This development and growth includes practicing and strengthening your Maxi Me voice with self-compassion and self-kindness AND implementing a regular practice of recognizing and owning your individual bodies strengths and talents. YOU ARE so much more than the size and shape of your body. As you begin to accept yourself as you are, you are able to embark on your journey of sharing you own unique gifts and passions with those around her.
By incorporating these 5-steps, my clients (and you) will be able to accept and embrace your PCOS symptoms, so that they become much more manageable. Not only has will you survive you will thrive. You will find yourself happier while significantly reducing your stress and anxiety, and have the skills and tools to handle it when it shows up in your life.
Click here to learn more about our services at Shaping Perspectives.
NOT ENOUGH,I should go for a run...
