The Best Types of Exercise for PCOS

There’s no doubt that exercise can be good for you. But when it comes to exercise and PCOS, the relationship is a bit more complicated. 

Exercise is known as a hormetic stressor. This means that in the right context it can be healthy and beneficial, and help to lower things like stress and inflammation. However, when exercise is done in the wrong context, such as when you’re not properly fueled, when you’re sleep-deprived, or when your body is under a lot of stress, it can have the opposite effect and will make things like stress hormones and inflammation worse, which can negatively affect many PCOS symptoms. 

The majority of studies done on exercise are done in men and animal models. They don’t take into account female physiology and hormones, which are much more sensitive than mens. 

This is why it’s so important to make sure you’re doing the right types of exercise and under the right circumstances with PCOS. We always want to make sure that exercise is promoting health and supporting hormones….not hindering or causing more disruption.

Best types of exercise for PCOS

Below are some effective types of exercise for PCOS, along with the pros and cons of each. 

Walking:

Many people underestimate the effectiveness of walking. But walking is truly one of the easiest and healthiest ways to move your body and to support overall health. It’s free and it comes with basically no negative side effects. Walking can help reduce stress hormones, lower inflammation, boost endorphins (the feel-good chemicals in your brain) and improve stress resilience. This helps to support your adrenals and can lower androgen production (which you can read more about in this post). Research shows that walking also has major benefits for blood sugar and can help lower blood sugar levels by improving insulin sensitivity, especially when done after eating.

Cardio. 

These are the types of exercises that raise your heart rate, such as running, swimming, uphill hiking, rowing and cycling. There are different degrees of cardio exercises. Moderate cardio exercises have benefits like improving blood sugar control, cholesterol levels, brain function, and improving sleep and mood. However, too much cardio can increase inflammation, increase stress hormones, and lead to other negative symptoms like amenorrhea (loss of your period). If you have “adrenal factor” PCOS I recommend being particularly mindful of cardio and not overdoing it. 

Strength training.

These involve activities that focus on building muscle and typically involve the use of weights, resistance bands, or your body weight. Like cardio, strength training has varying degrees of intensity along with pros and cons depending on how you approach it. Moderate strength training can help build stronger bones, support metabolic function, lower blood pressure, and has many other benefits. Excessive strength training, however, can increase androgen levels, stress hormones, inflammation, and oxidative stress, especially if done without proper refueling and recovery. 

HIIT

This stands for “high-intensity interval training”. It focuses on intense effort movements through quick bursts of exercise followed by short rest times. HIIT can be done in a variety of settings and has recently become more popular and advertised in the exercise industry. There have been a handful of small studies done on HIIT and PCOS which have shown some benefits like improved fasting insulin levels and body composition. However, since HIIT is an intense form of cardio exercise, too much of it can lead to negative health effects as described above – particularly with adrenal factor PCOS or if your body is under a lot of stress.

Yoga

Yoga involves gentle movements that focus on stretching, balance, and light toning through the use of your body weight while holding various poses. A small study done in women with PCOS found that those who did yoga for 1 hour, 3 times per week had a significant decrease in free testosterone levels and DHEA, and improvements in anxiety, depression, and regulation of their menstrual cycles. 

Keep in mind that for each of these activities, context is king. Just because research has shown the benefits of a particular type of exercise does NOT mean it is going to be a health-promoting tool for you specifically. If you are experiencing signs of hormone imbalance or are having negative symptoms like poor sleep, feeling burnt out or exhausted, and mood swings, more exercise or more intense workouts are probably not the best thing for you. Many women with PCOS feel significantly better and notice major improvements in their PCOS symptoms when they focus on lower intensity exercises. This is why it’s so important to not just follow an external plan, and to always assess feedback from your body before engaging in exercise. 

Movement guidelines for women with PCOS

To help sum up all that was mentioned above, here are some general tips that are helpful for most women with PCOS when it comes to exercise and moving your body:

• Work Smarter…not harder! Remember that less can be more when it comes to exercise.

• Aim for a well-rounded workout regimen. Balance is key! Aim to include a variety of exercises that will help improve insulin sensitivity, balance stress hormones, and lower inflammation, while also focusing on what is practical for you. 

• Walk regularly. Aim to get out for walks daily! Even if you only have 10 minutes to pop outside for a walk. 

• Incorporate strength-based exercises. Aim to include strength-based movements/exercises 2-3 days per week. 

• Prioritize restful and restorative movement. Examples include yoga, other forms of stretching, and foam rolling.

• Be mindful of higher intensity exercise. If participating in higher intensity cardio or HIIT workouts, aim for about 2 times per week, and no more than 2 hours total per week.

Tips for effectively implementing exercise with PCOS

If you’re wondering how you get started with implementing or modifying your exercise routine, the following tips can help:

• Focus on the types of movement that you enjoy. Movement should be fun! Take some time to explore different options to find what brings you joy. 

• Schedule and prioritize it. Block off time on your calendar for movement, just like you would with an appointment or other obligations. 

• Remain flexible. Remember that the context is king. Always keep factors like sleep, stress levels, nutrition, etc. in mind and be willing to make changes to your exercise routine as needed. 

• Check-in with your body. Rather than just going through the motions, take a moment to see how you feel before, during, and after a workout. Let go of the belief that more exercise or harder workouts are always better. 

• Start from where you’re at. This means acknowledging your current fitness level and determining what is realistic for you. Avoid setting unrealistic goals since these will only set you up for failure. When in doubt, start small and increase or decrease from there. Try not to compare yourself to what other people are doing. You are unique and only you know what’s best for your body!

Summary

There is no perfect exercise routine, and exercise is going to look a little bit different for everyone. Ultimately we want to create a well-rounded and supportive movement routine to support PCOS healing and whole-body health. This means always assessing the context and utilizing feedback from your body to make adjustments.

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