Moderate intensity exercises like brisk walking, jogging, cycling or swimming are all great activities that can help with PCOS. Moderate exercise increases your bodies sensitivity to insulin, which reduces your risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. Doing 30 minutes or more after meals helps with weight management, symptoms of depression and anxiety, as well as improving frequency of menstrual cycles and ovulation. And if you’re about to start IVF, regular light exercise can boost your reproductive success.
Bodyweight exercises like squats, push-ups, or dips improve the function of insulin in your body, but can also boost your metabolism by building more muscle mass. More muscle simply means burning more calories while exercising, but also throughout the day even at rest.
Intervals involve swapping between short bouts of high intensity work and lower intensity recovery. It’s a time efficient way of boosting your cardiovascular fitness, with extra benefits for PCOS. Going hard on the spin bike burns bucket-loads of calories, and reduces abdominal fat more effectively then say, a brisk walk. This can help you achieve a 5 – 10% weight loss, which studies show can decrease PCOS symptoms by reducing excess testosterone and improving insulin resistance. Studies recommend 120mins of vigorous exercise weekly for favorable health outcomes.
