In the holiday hurricane.

Rather than delving into juicy details of my personal life and how I am still living on an air mattress, couch, or just crashing on my dogs, I’ll take this post to cover a topic we all seem to shutter at for one reason or another: the holidays. So, Thanksgiving has already passed and to touch on that briefly, I have to state that my optimism on my willpower was low the days preceding this day. First, my family has typical drama and places many obligations on me to dote on everyone, on top of carving time for my in-laws an hour and a half away, topped with the stress I feel just thinking of what types of food may come across my path and how I am going to battle balancing out healthy and not-so-healthy. Well, long story short, I did not even end up celebrating Thanksgiving this year! Ha! The day came and went, I had a few depressed days but believe that was due to the cold and this dreary Ohio weather and external factors rather than feelings of emptiness, even with my husband being deployed during every holiday. Now, since then I have been eating according to my goals but perhaps just truly realized an aspect of my PCOS that I had thought was just me being lazy and noncommittal: I am OCD and the only way I don’t crave sugar and carbohydrates is by being relatively ‘strict’.

I explain this because I will feel renewed and full of energy after many straight days of eating just whole, organic, real food with absolutely nothing processed and then I’m on the road or making cookies to send my husband and think I can handle just having one, right?! Wrong! I seriously want to start kicking and screaming (that’s what I literally feel like inside) when I have these days. One cookie or slip in diet leads me to crave carbohydrates. Now, I’m not talking necessarily cakes, cookies, chips, etc., I’m talking complex carbohydrates, like sweet potatoes, oatmeal, gluten-free cereals, and well-I’m always craving natural nut butter; I must note that I only buy products that are under 6g of sugar, as well, so it’s not like these are high sugar items. So, I end up feeling like a mad crazy, chunka-munk of a woman raiding the kitchen, like I cannot get enough of my ‘crack’. How did I think that was normal before or just that I should be ‘punished’ for going off my diet? Please, someone correct me if I’m wrong, but from what I’ve researched with PCOS-friendly nutrition and insulin sensitivity, eating complex carbohydrates are typically easy on us, of course within proper portion sizes. With that said, I have now recognized that, 1. I have been over-complicating my diet in order to obtain my thin physique that I had only several months ago and 2. I need to make a plan and have accountability partners because my family does not (and I do not expect them to) understand the impact certain foods have on my body.

With several holidays currently running and coming up quickly, how can we fight the holiday hurricane of sugar and whacked out insulin and bloating while feeling strong and triumphant over our symptoms? Do you talk with your families and friends about your symptoms? It is inevitable that we will be subject to foods that do not agree with our bodies, especially during the holidays and that not everyone will support our whole, organic, or healthier options because, as some family members often claim, I’m, “obsessed, a protein monster, not fun, too serious”. Instead of succumbing to that one little bite or negative responses that we know will lead us down a destructive path (at least within our minds, if not being like me raiding the jar of nut butter), how can we focus our holidays around doing something other than just eating? I’d like to challenge each of us to pick a new activity or inspire a diverse conversation during a holiday event to prevent the temptation of food and perhaps even educate those around us on something they do not know. To close, I would like to highlight one little tip that I’ve researched and found to be beneficial: at least once a day, if not at each meal (esp. with carbohydrates or sugars), drink a shot of apple cider vinegar in order to assist with glucose utilization.

I have created a group within our Community entitled, “Life out PCOS”, and I encourage everyone to come over and join in the discussion and support one another in a journey for fitness and health!

@aura_Sklenicka

Note: This blog technically belongs to the organization, PCOS Awareness Association, as it's original version is posted within that site's Blog.

Get your Namaste on.

Let's face it: yoga can be intimidating. Go on social media, look into a yoga studio, or simply Google it and the vision is made that Yogis are only super flexible individuals that are able to maneuver their bodies into crazy positions and have a great calm all while doing so. These practitioners deserve applause for their dedication and abilities but never forget that everyone has their strengths AND we all start somewhere. Everyone is always a work in progress within their own right and I'm sure they didn't just jump into their first ever yoga session capable of doing a full Peacock Pose (or more properly, Mayurasana). Despite any intimidation factor, in any facet of health & fitness, yoga has been proven to be immensely beneficial for women with PCOS.

In addition to my current workout regimen, I always include at least 2 days a week of yoga practice. Honestly, it wavers from week to week but I feel my best when I awake with sun salutations, even just for 10 minutes each morning and utilize a longer practice for a post-workout stretch and relaxation. I have found that by doing so, my stress hormones are reduced and the intense nature of my workouts and diet do not impact me negatively (such as they were during competition prep; discussed in an earlier posting). Unfortunately, I have never had the opportunity or made the leap to attending a class because of availability near me and time conflicts but I have found YouTube to be a great resource! If you are new to yoga, cramped on time, or want a good meditation practice, I highly recommend:

Yogea ArtFlow Yoga

Plum TV- Yoga with Colleen Saidman

DoYogaWithMe.com

 

Why is yoga even more beneficial for PCOS?

Breathing techniques (pranayamas) assist in relaxing the mind and assist in meditation.

- This will aid in reducing overall stress, cortisol levels and detox.

Specific postures (asanas) can be done to focus on the pelvic region, reproductive system and organs impacted by hormonal imbalances.

- They will leave you feeling rejuvenated, clean on top of an increase in flexibility, weight loss and in some cases, may be integral in proper organ and system functioning.

Check out these tailored options.

 

How has yoga impacted my life?

When I practice on a regular basis, my OCD tendencies are more in check, depression does not show it's nasty face as easily, I have a better perspective on my current situation because I am forced to be introspective, my flexibility increases slightly each time (this is a huge bonus when lifting), I am grateful in any tumultuous situation, and of course a PCOS favorite: a reduction in breakouts!

 

Tips:

Try to do on an empty stomach. (Trust me, I've not waited long enough after a meal and it didn't feel too amazing in my digestive system!)

Drink plenty of water after a practice to rehydrate.

Find an empty, serene area-preferably with a view of nature to ensure complete relaxation and dedication to your practice.

Focus on your breathing-this will help quiet the crazy ongoing thoughts.

 

 

 

 

 



So you want to start working out...?!



And..here's your funny for today!

 

Recently, I have been approached by two different females with very different fitness goals, lifestyles, age ranges, body compositions, and access to equipment seeking advice on wanting to start on a path to getting in shape. As a frequent reader of many social media and fitness sites, I have found a common theme that women don't want to get bulky and just want to look toned. Unfortunately, some advertising and marketing schemes have made women assume that these are any valid outcomes of working out. First off, while the rate of muscle growth is greatest for newbies, it takes a tailored diet and lifting regimen to truly see large muscles on a female. (I will highlight PCOS and muscle growth in a moment.*) Secondly, that toned appearance can come only from using muscles, not from just doing cardio. (Trust me: I was a cardio bunny at the beginning of my journey and mind you, my weight was lower but my booty was not lifted and I wasn't necessarily 'tight'.) You will get lifted in all the right places just by slowly implementing a resistance aspect to your fitness routine. With that said, I have come up with a few circuits that you can complete if you are new to working out and have no equipment at home. I will do circuits like this at times I do not have access to my home equipment or a gym. I hope the links have not expired on these, but it should send you to videos demonstrating proper form.

 

For the following circuits, do each workout in order, take a minute or two break and then repeat the sequence again as many times as possible. (I'd say first go for at least 2, no more than 5 times through each circuit.) For each exercise in the circuit, do as many as possible, until your muscles become fatigued. I've made the name of each exercise a link to exercise demonstrations that help show you proper form. Example: Circuit One, do 15 pushups, 12 bench dips, 45 seconds wall sit, 30 Russian twists. I take a water break, then repeat that circuit 2 more times before moving on to Circuit Two. I'd recommend doing this workout 3 times this week, with a rest day in-between (i.e. Monday, Wednesday, Friday).

Circuit One

Pushups

Bench Dips

Wall Sit
Russian Twist

Circuit Two

Plank
Flutter Kicks
Diamond Pushups
Bodyweight Squat

Circuit Three

Mountain Climbers
Calf Raise
Jumping Jacks
Bodyweight Lunges



If you are already doing cardio, go ahead just remember that there is no need to over-do it! I'm a fan of High Intensity Intervals or Tabata training but I cannot recommend that for unseasoned individuals, as it is easy to lose coordination and injure oneself during these. For those with PCOS, if you incorporate these circuits, and yoga and leisure walks several times a week you should be good; no need to overstress your adrenal system. REMEMBER that the #1 first goal of working out should be a focus on health, hence my little graphic above! Focusing on health first will also decrease the liability that you will stop the program because it does take time to see physical changes. Invest now in your health and save money and enjoy life down the road!
 

*If you are an aerobics junky, stop. Do low intensity relaxing exercise (leisure walking, tai chi, restorative yoga) and weight training instead to control cortisol which can be one of the major issues in disrupting brain ovary signaling. (Teta, Jade. Metabolic Effect, Inc. "How To Lose Weight with PCOS". www.metaboliceffect.com)

 

 

 

 

Where do I begin...?

It would be near impossible (without boring the hell out of you) to explain the past month of my life to you, so I will attempt to sum it up and circle back around to something PCOS-related. Mkay?

After my husband being deployed for a week, we finally got a call that a potential tenant wanted to schedule a showing of the house and awesome enough, the day became a gold mine of potentials, leaving the puppies and I on the road, eating egg whites out of the truck and not getting a post-workout shower until late at night. The day was a success, though, and the new tenant was eager to get in asap: a.k.a. Aura, you have to be out of the house in a few days. Say whaaaaat?! Somehow I managed to get everything packed, moved into storage or my vehicle, and cleaned with ample time (thanks to Mike & Amanda for being awesome friends!) and got to the gym most of those few days because I knew it would reduce my anxiety.

So, the house was rented and the pups and I ended up at my Ma's house. It was perfect timing because I was able to spend my brother's birthday week with him and some quality time with my nephew and sister-in-law. Now, I was freaking out quite a bit because honestly, Ken and I did not want to transition from the military back to Ohio. While we love our families and adore the time we have with them, we both agreed that we wanted to move forward with something new in our life, especially with such a huge life change coming. With that said, I (sadly) left my pups with my Ma and drove out to Chicago in search of temp work until I can begin working with Teach For America in the spring. For the past 2 weeks, I have gone to a variety of interviews and finally landed a teaching position that I will begin on Friday! (I still find it ironic that I could not get a professional interview success for the past year in NC but I get here and have multiple opportunities immediately awaiting.) I feel blessed to have my sister here to stay with and she has been awesome but I definitely have not felt like myself.
.....
I have done healthy food prep several times but am thrown off because I'm too afraid to run the blender in the middle of the day when my brother-in-law is sleeping before work, I'm trying to save money so am too cheap to go buy protein because I'm still in sticker shock from coming from a NC budget and military access, I have gone to the gym every single day (and that is a blessing), I am not on an eating schedule because her kitchen is just not what I'm accustom and I feel awkward, etc. etc. etc. I'm really trying hard to stick with a clean diet as much as possible but admittedly, I've had one too many 'off' days in the past 2 weeks. I am not beating myself up about it, but I am worried because they have come about from either a.) staying out too late to be a designated driver or the fact that I went out twice and I never go out or drink so my sleep is lacking, which is a big No-no for me (&PCOS) or b.) I'm depressed.
Phew, that felt like a relief. I don't know if anyone reads this far down but it feels good to have that off my chest. I don't want to share an additional stress with my husband and my sister, while she's an awesome listener, she has recognized it and I fear she will feel guilt for it regardless the fact that it has anything to do with her or not. I have cried more times in the past 2 weeks than I have in the past 2 years...or more. I'm not a crier, typically not emotional, and well, I asked for this right? I'm honestly starting to think that I was too naïve in realizing what life would be life until I have my family back together here. I miss my quiet, boring, country life right now and while I know it will subside soon enough, I can't help but think I've made a mistake uprooting our entire life for the dream of 'making a difference' or 'greater impact'. I feel like I've already matured even more in the sense that I should have listened to my wise husband when he told me that it doesn't matter if I'm in the city because I have already touched so many lives in my young age, even living in a suburban military community. I'm praying everyday for the pieces to fall where they will and that I can keep picking myself back up with an optimistic attitude and healthy lifestyle.

With that said, if you have PCOS, please-I beg of you-try to get those 8 recommended hours of sleep each and every night; you will know when your body is rested and properly performing and you have that positive mindset and little stress that you have gotten a restful night sleep. The stress that many of us PCOSers' have is only magnified when we are lacking sleep and proper nutrition; trust me on this one.

More to come soon enough, as I will be back on the blogging grind with more focused on PCOS recipes and fitness updates-I forgot to mention I'm OFFICIALLY an ACE Certified Personal Trainer, as I passed my exam last week. I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to have clientele with PCOS, as I can understand the frustration with managing weight with this syndrome. If interested, please let me know!
Until next time....
Take time each day to reflect on your personal and professional goals and recognize what truly matters in life.

What pre-dep leave can do to you...

...a.k.a. make you 'fluffy'. Yes, I could have easily worked my willpower against the evils of dining out, but I have been learning to take the punches and roll with them to make the best out of them. 1. I might have had several days of food that I would not recommend as a PCOS-friendly diet (too much starchy carbs and lack of portion control) but the difference between my mindset now versus the past is that in the past I would've continued to say, "Oh, tomorrow I'll be back on a strict diet"....and then pig out past my satiated point and the rollercoaster diet cycle ensues. Now, I'll eat a few bites of this naughty food and stop before I feel like I can't get off the couch (I envision myself here with a prego size belly not able to get up without rolling around like a 2 legged dog; I'm weird, whatever...and no I'm not dogging on pregnant ladies, geez even though I don't want kids now, someday I'll be wishing I was rolling around with a babe inside of me when I can't....I like ... & italics today, can you tell? Oh yeah, and my grammar and sentence structure sucks today; ADD day I suppose.) Anyhoo, moral of that story: Yes, I gained some water weight and fat but I made sure I was staying consistent with lifting or working out whenever possible even though pre-deployment has entailed being away from my home, my routines, my house being upside down with projects, and trying to make my husband as relaxed as possible before he has to reside in a living version of Hell again in the coming months. Mind you, he is going to miss football season, big holidays, and birthdays yet again this year; so we are celebrating early, right?!
With that said, I knew after 1 week of this 'carefree' attitude that I was ready to get back on the ball more hardcore and focus back solely on nutrients that my body loooooves. Well, my body must have enjoyed that break because my body is responding better than ever, high intensity lifting sessions, added in some TRX training at home, a slight bit of running to build my endurance back up and cycling my carbs a bit. (One day low, one day moderate, one day high; this isn't an end all-be all approach, it just helps me reduce cravings in the long run if I know I can look forward to more varied food choices the following day.) My muscles look more full and I feel great. I did take a week off of the Metformin when my prescription was up to remember, or really truly recognize, if it was assisting me and I have to admit that the week of not so good food didn't really add the aforementioned 'fluff' until I went off my pills. Disclaimer: I'm purposely took this break so that I don't become dependent on a medication to make me feel less fluffy, but I could definitely tell the insulin spikes were back slightly when off of the medication. I wasn't going to continue with it but had a follow-up with the doc and informed her that I finally lost the negative side effects (mentioned in the last post) so we decided to just see if the positive response ensues for the next few months. I have been back on it for a day and feel amazing thus far; fingers crossed I don't publish this then get nauseous and narcoleptic again...

So, for all you readers that may have those times similar to my pre-deployment celebratory eating, don't forget to stay consistent and listen to your body when it tells you no more. I have found that because PCOS can easily relay into depression for various reasons, when I don't eat PCOS-friendly to a 'T' I only get depressed when I am eating out of emotional disturbance, to clear my mind of thoughts, and truly if I let my mind get the best of me. Never quit, just keep on trucking and never view something as a 'negative', even if it is outside of your norm; just make everything a positive.

Are all my posts sounding too similar...? I'll switch up the next one to something radical, I promise.

Metformin...sh** just got real!

I've been down and out for a bit. My hormones have always played a huge role in my mood, obviously, and I cannot say it helps being a military spouse. Even with the removal of my tumors last month, I still managed to keep an intense workout regimen (of course, I semi-listened to the doctor on recoup periods but I was not in pain, anyway) and actually rather on point with my food intake, but not obsessing over it and enjoying family time or the rare times out of the house. Yes, I was a bit thicker but I was using that extra bit to lift heavier. No bigs, right? Well, I thought not...until my husband left for training and I tightened my diet and put more HIIT cardio into my routines. Mind you: the last time I incorporated this same amount of HIIT, I was getting ripped pretty quickly. Nonetheless, somehow I managed to continue gaining and I realized I was definitely losing hard earned muscle. For the matters of health, I had been keeping a slightly lower intake of animal proteins, but nothing extravagant. My diet extremely PCOS friendly but yet, I could just FEEL myself out of whack; I am not typically an emotional person and I was crying, stressing, and confused about so much that was trivial and don't get me started on my damn mustache! Okay, okay, sob story over, I was proactive and made an appointment to discuss more endocrinology.
In the past, I have tried Hormone Replacement Therapy (progestin, chlomid, femara) and while I was not trying to conceive, my Doc wanted to see if these would help regulate my cycles, hence seeing if ovulatory function was even possible. My body reacted horribly, feeling like it went through menopause but yet the medication did not work for me but once. With that said, I said EFFFFFFFF feeling like a crazy lady (right, right!?) and really tried hard at the all-natural approach, simply healing through food, meditation, exercise, and only several herbal supplements to enhance proper function. Well, I haven't had a period in all that time and I have not been on a medication for nearly 2 years now.
Turns out, something in this crazy world of PCOS decided to trigger my hormones in another weird direction and I caved to TRYING, key word TRYING out a month of Metformin & Spiro. I can't even lie, just saying I'm on these suddenly makes me feel like part of this PCOS community all of a sudden. Sounds stupid, right? Since joining communities and reading educational studies on PCOS, I have constantly found and witnessed all these women on Metformin, but I was convinced that that was not for me because I did not think I had insulin resistance nor am I actively TTC. I've always been more of the, "eeehhhh what happens, happens" type of lady. So, to be on this stuff now, yes, yes, sh** just got real in the Sklenicka household! (I'm sure Ken will be happy he's not home for a while...) First 2 days review thus far: I've never NOT been thus UN-hungry. I can't lie on this either folks, I love to eat (be honest, who doesn't!?) and while I know how to eat clean and keep within my macro/kcal limits, these pills make me disgusted by even my favorite most tempting, colorful salad arrangement or (gasp) nut butter! I've been forcing some food in and trying to workout, although I feel fatigued rather quickly and thus my strength is down. Nausea was listed as a #1 side effect and ya, it isn't too bad but my digestive system has been making some funny sounds.....and I blame it on the dogs?! :-0  I have recently heard of Glucosmart and Glucocerin, which I am told are all-natural, which I'd prefer, but unfortunately I am sure are NOT covered by my healthcare. I'll dig deeper, though.
So, after this novel of a damn post, I was writing with an old friend and she made a comment on me having it rough these days; to which I replied, "More stories to add to the book of life!" It can be frustrating having issues that no one understands because they may not be visible to the naked eye and we can be on a rollercoaster of weight loss to weight gain, or even lose something so precious to our future (material or non) but at the end of the day, those build our character and make us stronger. God would not give us anything that He did not think we couldn't endure.

First PCOS Tip of the Day!

PCOS Tip of the Day

Apple Cider Vinegar: with the ‘Mother’ has many proven health benefits for everyone and has been especially helpful in reducing my personal PCOS symptoms of acne, bloating, insulin spikes (when taken around higher carbohydrate or sugar intake) and lessened IBS, just to name a few! 

To start my day off on the right foot, I take a shot with a pinch of cayenne pepper spice and it is DELICIOUS as a dressing substitute!

Click here to read further information on the benefits of Organic ACV, straight from medical professionals!

Not 'if' but 'when'.

Not if, but, when I get my entrepreneurship revved and going, I am thinking: Six Packs & PCOS! I am starting to see my 6-pack coming back; limited cardio, heavy ass weights and food that works with my hormones rather than against it! Full blog coming later...