#NationalGirlfriendsDay

Since I was diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) in 2012, it has been part of my life’s mission to help women become empowered to take care of their health by using preventative measures, like working out and eating healthily, and becoming the biggest advocate for themselves.

National Girlfriends’ Day {August 1st} is a day to celebrate friendship and to support one another as women to stay safe and to live a healthy life. Below, you’ll see an infographic from  Oscar Health Insurance Company that provides a helpful guideline of preventative measures that we can take to protect ourselves through routine screenings and possible early detection. Oscar has many tools and services that allow making these appointments easy and stress-free with their tech-based health insurance in NJ and NY.

 

Along with the suggested routine screenings, I also want to  personally encourage you to get tested for PCOS if you have any of the following symptoms:

• Menstrual irregularities:
  • No menstrual periods—called amenorrhea (pronounced ey-men-uh-REE-uh)
  • Frequently missed periods—called oligomenorrhea (pronounced ol-i-goh-men-uh-REE-uh)
  • Very heavy periods
  • Bleeding but no ovulation—called anovulatory periods
• Infertility
• Excess hair growth on the face, chest, belly, or upper thighs—a condition called hirsutism (pronounced HUR-soo-tiz-uhm)
• Severe, late-onset, or persistent acne that does not respond well to usual treatments
• Obesity, weight gain, or trouble losing weight, especially around the waist
• Pelvic pain
• Oily skin
• Patches of thickened, dark, velvety skin—a condition called acanthosis nigricans (pronounced ay-kan-THOE-sis NY-grih-kanz)

PCOS can lead to many serious medical conditions like diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and gynecological cancers if left untreated. To find out more information about PCOS testing and diagnosis, check out this article from the US National Library of Medicine.

When it comes to our health, the last thing we should want to do is put out fires. Preventative health is key to living a healthy life. For National Girlfriends’ Day, encourage your girlfriends to stay healthy by working out together, eating good nutritious foods together, and empower one another to advocate for their health through listening to their bodies and getting routine screenings to both prevent illness and/or detect potential illness early.

For more information about PCOS, check out www.pcosaa.org.

 

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Self Love // Weight Doesn’t Determine Your Worth

The scale doesn’t typically stay the same. Weight can fluctuate in varying degrees. Sometimes I look in the mirror and scrutinize myself about what I want to change and what doesn’t seem good enough. Sometimes, it’s the unhealthy opposite of that. If i’ve made any headway in my journey to being healthy, I look in the mirror with pride about how I’m coming along, as if I’m a better person because I lost a few pounds or inches.

I’m not saying that hard work and discipline shouldn’t be celebrated. I think that those are amazing traits to have and to take pride in. However, the number on the scale shouldn’t determine our level of self-worthiness. Losing or gaining 5 pounds doesn’t make us any more or any less valuable.

I was talking to a friend of mine, and she was talking about making a mental switch in terms of working out. We tend to work out because we want to fix ourselves. We want to fix our abs, our untoned arms, and the whole 9 yards. But, rather than doing something healthy like working out in an unhealthy way (self-loathing), maybe we need to shift our thinking to working out because we LOVE ourselves. We LOVE and RESPECT our bodies so we want to do things that make us feel better. That sounds more appealing to me than shaming myself about what I need to change, which in so many ways, is translated into not being good enough, or worthy enough.

I’ve decided that from now on, when I’m preparing to work out, I’m not going to put myself in ‘beast mode.’ I’m simply going to love my body where it is and do something for the love of it.

I Miss You!!!

Here are some sweet kisses from Milo for you!

I promise, I’m not gone…completely. I have been doing lots of hard work and PCOS activism over at PCOS Awareness Association (PCOSAA). I was recently given the opportunity to be the Co-President and serve alongside a small group of wonderfully dedicated, brilliant, and sassy women. We are laying a lot of ground work so it has been awesomely time consuming. I have so many things to share with you. Soon. Very soon. Cross my heart.

Big love to all of yous =P

Good Carbs, Bad Carbs

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If you haven’t had a chance to read my previous post, ‘PCOS, Insulin, and Carbohydrates,’ you can check it out here.

*Please keep in mind that some of the items on the ‘Good Carb’ list are not Paleo friendly (if this is the lifestyle method you’ve chosen).

I can clearly remember when my mom switched us from white bread to whole wheat bread. It was a sad day to eat toast. I’m sure we’ve all either had a similar moment or a knowing of wheat bread being a healthier option than white bread. So what’s the deal with this whole ‘good carb, bad carb’ situation?
Good carbohydrates provide your body with very important nutrients; whereas bad carbs don’t do anything positive in way of your health. Don’t get me wrong, they can be very fun to eat, but your internals and your waistline won’t be too happy over time.

When the rubber meets the road, carbohydrate quality is very important. The ‘Good’ ones gives you the phytonutrients, vitamins, minerals, and fiber that your body needs. ‘Bad’ carb don’t give you those things. They are void of these healthy elements are are easily digestible, making you hungry sooner.

Eating high quality carbs are VERY important for women with PCOS because it can help to stabilize you blood sugar and help you to avoid sugar spikes and crashes.

So what foods are considered ‘good’ carbs or ‘bad’ carbs?
Good Carbs
-Whole grain products (whole wheat breads, whole wheat pasta, brown rice)
-Fruits
-Non-starchy vegetables
-Legumes
-Nuts
-Non-sweetend dairy products

Bad Carbs
-Sugars
-Added sugars
-Refined/Enriched products (white breads, white rice, enriched pasta)
-Starchy vegetables (white potatoes)
-Cookies, cakes, donuts, etc.

Next, we’ll look at ways to incorporate more quality carbs into daily eating.