Melbourne Holistic Health Group

Published in Articles - Women's Health & Fertility on 01 December 2011 by Ljupka Peev

Regular physical activity is fundamental to maintaining physical and emotional health and quality of life. It is vital for cardiovascular health, maintaining bone density, maintaining a healthy weight, and reducing stress. For women with PCOS, regular exercise is the cornerstone of management, regardless of body weight, and has been found to improve insulin sensitivity and menstrual regularity, and enhance fertility (in those wanting to achieve pregnancy). Exercise also improves cardiovascular health and decreases risk of diabetes. When exercise is used as a single intervention, it has been shown to improve insulin resistance independent of a change in weight. Regular exercise in combination with a healthy diet helps overweight women with PCOS to lose weight and to maintain this weight loss. In addition, exercise can help to prevent weight gain in PCOS women who are within the healthy weight range. (See PCOS, Insulin Resistance and a Low GI Diet for information on a Low GI diet).

What sort of exercise should I choose?

Physical exercises are divided into types of exercise, depending on the effect they have on the body. Aerobic exercise increases the heart rate and includes activities such as cycling, walking, jogging/running, swimming, hiking, rowing, team sports or sports such as tennis. Weight bearing exercise is any exercise where the person ‘bears’ their own weight (such as walking or running), whereas resistance exercise involves training with weights and increases muscle mass and strength. A combination of these is ideal to achieve maximum benefits.

A note about resistance exercise 

Many women are concerned that if they do weight training they will develop big, bulky muscles. In fact, this is very difficult for women to achieve since we lack the testosterone required to gain this sort of muscle growth. Weight training will improve strength and muscle tone and this in turn improves metabolic rate, meaning you will burn more calories at rest. Insulin resistance also improves with resistance exercise and improved muscle tone. This does not necessarily mean going to the gym and these types of exercises can be done at home with some basic equipment, like dumbbells. Exercising and toning the large muscle groups like those in the upper thigh and buttocks has the greatest benefit in terms of insulin resistance and metabolic rate. If you have never done any weight/resistance training before, we recommend that you seek advice and supervision, at least initially, to ensure that the exercises are performed correctly to prevent injury and to optimise your training.

How much exercise do I need to do?

Australian government guidelines on exercise for the general population, in order to maintain health and weight, recommend 150 minutes of exercise per week, with 90 minutes of this being of moderate or high intensity. Moderate intensity is achieved when your heart rate reaches 125-150 beats/minute. Types of exercise that will achieve this may include brisk walking, digging in the garden, medium-paced swimming or cycling. High intensity is reached at a heart rate of >150 beats per minute, through exercise such as aerobics, circuit training, speed walking, jogging, running, hard or hill cycling.

Remember, these guidelines are for the general population and will help you to maintain your weight. If your aim is weight loss, you will require a different level of exercise. Speak to your practitioner for individualised advice.

Some tips:

Regular physical activity is important throughout life – we are made to move. Although most of us are aware that it is vital for good health, it is also important to remember that exercise makes us feel good. It gives us more energy and improves mood, and often this happens immediately. Exercise needn’t be structured but it should be sustainable and enjoyable. Think active lifestyle.

• Choose something you like to do. This might mean trying something new.

• Think outside the square – try indoor rock-climbing, it’s safe, you don’t need any experience and you can bring a friend/partner regardless of their level of fitness; rent a kayak from your nearest boathouse/club and spend an afternoon rowing on the river; get out of the city and go for a hike or a bike ride in an area you haven’t yet explored; try a dance class.

• Make it social - invite a friend or partner or your kids. Suggest an activity or going for a walk through some gardens, at the beach or the local walking track. It’s a much better way of connecting with someone than watching a movie.

• Find an exercise partner or join a group – you’re more like to do the exercise class or go for that walk if you’ve agreed to meet someone else to do it.

• Think about ways in which you are sedentary and identify where you could move more. Perhaps you spend minutes waiting for the elevator when you could take the stairs. Perhaps you spend time looking for the nearest car park space (or money looking for the nearest car park) when you could park a little further and walk.

• Prioritise you, your health and feeling good. It is very easy to get busy and feel you don’t have the time to incorporate exercise and activity into your life. However, in order to perform your tasks and look after others, you need your health and you need to be feeling well. Put your exercise regime in your diary FIRST, then add other activities around your exercise.

• With structured exercise or an exercise program, give yourself a goal each session and with each exercise. This might be that your goal is to maintain your session to the same degree as your last or this may be to push it a little further this time. Perhaps this could be running one more minute, or running a little faster. Find out about interval training. It helps with faster weight loss and greater fitness and can be (and often already is) incorporated into most aerobic routines. Using a heavier weight, or doing more repetitions is another method for improving outcomes. Seeing your fitness improve will help to keep you motivated. Be sure to check with your trainer as to how you should do this.

• Ensure variety. Whether it’s structured exercise or other activities, performing a variety of these will prevent you from getting bored and also ensure that you use different muscle groups and get a range of aerobic and non-aerobic exercises.

• See your naturopath. Your practitioner can give you references and tools to address your needs and keep you motivated, as well as individualised guidelines, taking into consideration you past and current health, as well as assessing your future risks.

Related articles:

• What is Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)? by Sandra Villella
• PCOS, Insulin Resistance and a Low GI Diet by Sofie Mikosza
• PCOS and Pregnancy by Ann-Maree Bortoli
• Improving Bone Density Through Diet and Exercise by Sofie Mikosza