Changing your habits and lifestyle isn’t easy. It takes determination, persistence, patience, and perseverance. I hope you are learning that it doesn’t require perfection. Perhaps the most important elements to create sustainable positive change are kindness, grace, and forgiveness toward yourself.
You may have begun to worry about how long you’ll be able to stick with the plan, rationalizing that you’ve never been able to follow any diet long-term. It is important to remind yourself to take it one day at a time, one step at a time, one moment at a time. When it becomes clear that a day isn’t unfolding as planned, be gentle, extend yourself some grace, and make the next best choice to move forward.
Don’t allow negative self-talk. If you find yourself thinking, “I can’t do this. I’ll always be overweight, infertile, tired, ____________ (fill in the blank). I’m not enough,” immediately flip the script. Tell yourself—out loud—“I CAN do this; it just takes time and practice. I don’t have to learn everything at once.” Negative self-talk usually stems from disappointing past experiences with quick-fix diets based on deprivation and denial. Remember that the Healing PCOS Plan is not a fad diet. It is a nourishing and nurturing lifestyle. The key difference is that it is a sustainable way of living. Since PCOS must be managed over the course of a lifetime, you must learn new ways of thinking, moving, and eating in order to thrive. This takes time. Be patient and kind to yourself. You’ll find that once you feel the effects of your good choices, you will get into a positive cycle: a good choice will leave you feeling good, so you make another good choice, and so on. You will find the momentum to move forward and continue to live like a PCOS Diva for a lifetime.
By now you should be feeling some of the rewards of the Healing PCOS Plan—brighter eyes, clearer thinking, more energy, and a more optimistic mood. Let this propel you forward through Week Two, Live Week.
During Week Two, you will reinforce the habits created during Week One and follow the same daily protocol. In addition, we will explore ways to create a movement mindset and look for ways to add more movement to your day. Movement is essential to help lower stress levels, improve mood, and lift anxiety and worry.
Hopefully, you’ve been walking for 15 minutes after lunch or dinner (or both) as part of the daily routine you established in Week One. How will you add more movement? As a start, you will get up 15 minutes earlier to create space in your daily routine to add Morning Movement. I like to do sun salutations and then jump on my rebounder for a few minutes to get the blood pumping.
In addition, you are going to find some time for Bonus Movement each day. You will either add HIIT to your daily walk(s), add 10 minutes of strength training, or add 10 minutes of a mind–body exercise:
HIIT: Add intervals to your daily walk(s). For example:
3-minute warmup: Walk at a leisurely pace to help prepare your joints, muscles, and heart for exercise.
1-minute power walk: Walk at a brisk pace; it should be hard to carry on a conversation.
2-minute recovery: Reduce speed to a moderate pace, but one that is somewhat faster than warmup.
1-minute power walk: Walk at a brisk pace.
2-minute recovery: Reduce speed to a moderate pace.
1-minute power walk: Walk at a brisk pace.
2-minute recovery: Reduce speed to a moderate pace.
3-minute cooldown: Cool down at a leisurely pace.
Strength training: Find a 10-minute body weight routine online. A quick search will yield dozens of free workout ideas. Commit to doing it two to three times this week. Slot this into your calendar as self-care time.
Mind—body movement: Do a 10-minute series of sun salutations or simple stretches. There are countless routines available on YouTube and Pinterest. Take a moment to find one that you will practice this week. Plan at least one series in your calendar as self-care time this week.
Monday, Day 8
| Breakfast | Snack (Optional) | Lunch | Snack (Required) | Dinner |
| Sausage, Asparagus, and Egg Muffin Cups | ½ cup fresh or frozen berries and ¼ cup almonds | 10-Layer Salad in a Jar with steak and Terrific Tahini Dressing | ¼ cup Sweet Spiced Pepitas | Sesame-Crusted Chicken Strips with Spicy Raspberry Dipping Sauce, ½ medium roasted butternut squash (6-Step Roasted Veggies), and Orange Fennel Slaw |
Tuesday, Day 9
| Breakfast | Snack (Optional) | Lunch | Snack (Required) | Dinner |
| Chocolate-Almond-Strawberry Chia Pudding | 1 Pumpkin Spice Protein Bar | 10-Layer Salad in a Jar with chicken and Terrific Tahini Dressing | 1 small sliced apple with 2 tablespoons sunflower-seed butter, sprinkled with hemp or chia seeds | White Chicken Chili and mixed greens with Avocado-Lime Ranch Dressing |
| Breakfast | Snack (Optional) | Lunch | Snack (Required) | Dinner |
| Apple Cobbler Super-Seed Quick Oats | ¼ cup 5-Layer Trail Mix | Planned-over White Chicken Chili and mixed greens with Avocado-Lime Ranch Dressing | 6 Mary’s Gone Crackers and ⅓ cup Rosemary White Bean Dip | Caribbean Salmon and Pineapple Kabobs, Quinoa Pilaf, and mixed greens with Terrific Tahini Dressing |
Thursday, Day 11
| Breakfast | Snack (Optional) | Lunch | Snack (Required) | Dinner |
| Ginger Peach Smoothie | ¼ cup Sweet Spiced Pepitas | 10-Layer Salad in a Jar with salmon and Terrific Tahini Dressing | 1 Pumpkin Spice Protein Bar | Spring Greens Soup, Lemon-Pepper Chicken Drumsticks, and vegetable crudités with Avocado-Lime Ranch Dressing |
Friday, Day 12
| Breakfast | Snack (Optional) | Lunch | Snack (Required) | Dinner |
| Spinach, Tomato, and Basil Egg Scramble | ¼ cup 5-Layer Trail Mix | Planned-over Spring Greens Soup and Lemon-Pepper Chicken Drumsticks | 6 Mary’s Gone Crackers and ⅓ cup Rosemary White Bean Dip | Citrus Fajitas with Cashew-Lime Crema and broccoli with Lemon-Dijon Sauce |
| Breakfast | Snack (Optional) | Lunch | Snack (Required) | Dinner |
| Apple Pie Smoothie | celery sticks and 2 tablespoons cashew butter with 5 dried cranberries | 10-Layer Salad in a Jar with planned-over Citrus Fajitas, guacamole, and salsa | ¼ cup 5-Layer Trail Mix | EAT OUT |
Sunday, Day 14
| Breakfast | Snack (Optional) | Lunch | Snack (Required) | Dinner |
| Fruit Scone | ¼ cup 5-Layer Trail Mix | Layered Lunch Wrap with Curried Egg Salad | ½ cup fresh or frozen berries and ¼ cup almonds | Savory Salisbury Steak, Root Veggie Mash, roasted asparagus (6-Step Roasted Veggies), and sliced tomato |
Live: Week Two Daily Protocol
Rocket Launch. Wake up 15 minutes earlier than usual.
Morning Reflection
Shower
Breakfast
Daily Lesson
Morning Snack/Tea Time
Lunch
Afternoon Snack/Tea Time
Dinner
Nighttime Ritual
Food Prep for Monday, Day 8
Meal Plan
| Breakfast | Snack (Optional) | Lunch | Snack (Required) | Dinner |
| Sausage, Asparagus, and Egg Muffin Cups | ½ cup fresh or frozen berries and ¼ cup almonds | 10-Layer Salad in a Jar with steak and Terrific Tahini Dressing | ¼ cup Sweet Spiced Pepitas | Sesame-Crusted Chicken Strips with Spicy Raspberry Dipping Sauce, ½ medium roasted butternut squash (6-Step Roasted Veggies), and Orange Fennel Slaw |
Inspiration
“All healing starts with beginning to accept yourself and love yourself, even your flaws.” —Bryant McGill
Affirmation
“I am healthy and radiant.”
Diva Daily
I achieved my Weight Watcher lifetime-member status in my mid-twenties, but to be honest, the Weight Watcher point mentality and my perfectionist tendencies just didn’t mix. If I messed up and went over my points before the week was over, I would beat myself up and tell myself I’d start fresh on Monday, even if it was Wednesday. Then I’d let things go until, in my mind, I had a clean slate again on Monday and would start the cycle all over again. The Healing PCOS 21-Day Plan is deliberately different. There are no metrics, carbs to count, or points to accrue. If you get off track or make a mistake, you are always, always, one choice away from getting back on track.
Everyone messes up. We are not perfect. We all do things we don’t consciously mean to do. The critical concept for you to take away is to be kind to yourself and forgive yourself. You deserve forgiveness. You would certainly forgive your child, so why not yourself?
Rather than feeling guilt or shame, see it as an opportunity to grow. Although it is important to acknowledge mistakes and learn from them, it is equally important to let yourself off the hook. If something didn’t go as well as you liked last week, think about how you can better prepare and create space for success. Maybe you need to make sure you have snacks in the car, or put your robe and slippers by the bed the night before so you feel cozier as soon as you rocket-launch. How can you better plan for success?
Diva Do
Reflect on Discover Week. When I coach clients, most answer the question “How did your week go?” by telling me about all of the things that didn’t go well. Rather than dwelling on what hasn’t been working, acknowledge what is working. What went well over the last week? What were your wins? Or, as I like to start my coaching sessions, “What’s new and good?” Write down the answers in your journal.
Now focus on the week ahead. Think about how amazing you can make it. Reflect upon your Big Why and write down three goals for your week.
Movement Mindset
Exercise has many physical benefits including weight loss, improved metabolic markers, and increased fertility, but it may take weeks or months to see these results. Rather than concentrating solely on physical benefits, focus on how movement helps to change your mood. When I’m in a rotten mood, my husband reminds me to go to the gym or take a walk. Sometimes he literally has to hand me the keys and put me in the car or hand me my shoes and push me out the door. But he is right; after moving for 10 minutes, I feel a mood boost.
Tune into your mental state before and after you move today. Rate how you feel on a scale of 1 to 10 before moving and rate how you feel again after. Allow this improvement (and I promise you, your mood will improve) to create sustainability.
Food Prep for Tuesday, Day 9
Day 9
Meal Plan
| Breakfast | Snack (Optional) | Lunch | Snack (Required) | Dinner |
| Chocolate-Almond-Strawberry Chia Pudding | 1 Pumpkin Spice Protein Bar | 10-Layer Salad in a Jar with chicken and Terrific Tahini Dressing | 1 small sliced apple with 2 tablespoons sunflower-seed butter, sprinkled with hemp or chia seeds | White Chicken Chili and mixed greens with Avocado-Lime Ranch Dressing |
Inspiration
“Be there for others, but never leave yourself behind.” —Dodinsky
Affirmation
“I deserve to take care of myself.”
Diva Daily
I’ve learned that when I am crabby, irritable, and feeling burned out, it is a sign that I need to find time for more “sweet stuff” in my life. Similarly, when I find myself craving sugar and I know it isn’t because of a physical blood-sugar imbalance, then I know I need more “sweet stuff.”
Many of us struggle with using food to fill a hunger we have in another part of our lives. We need nourishment in many forms. We all have a real need for love, friendship, laughter, movement, creativity, purpose, spirituality, meaningful work, relaxation, and beauty. We must feed our whole being, or we will end up full of food but never really satisfied.
Now instead of automatically reaching for something sweet when a craving hits, I ask myself, “What am I really hungry for?” Typically, I can find the answer on my Sweet Stuff list, an emergency go-to list of all the things that make me happy, fulfilled, joyful, and recharged. The things on my list provide ways for me to find sweetness and nourishment in nonfood ways.
I try to schedule something from my Sweet Stuff list on my calendar every day. Of course, the day doesn’t always go as I planned, especially with three kids, but it is still a step in the right direction to at least include myself on my schedule.
Amy’s Sweet Stuff
Not only has this list helped me kick a sugar habit, it has helped me feel happier and more peaceful, grounded, and balanced.
I’ve come to realize that self-care is nonnegotiable if I want to live life as a PCOS Diva. I know that not taking care of myself in this way only sets me up to eventually explode in an emotional tirade of yelling and tears. I am a better wife, mother, and friend when I take care of myself. The more I give to me, the more I have to give to others.
Diva Do
Create your own Sweet Stuff list and then schedule three items from the list on your calendar this week. Try not to save your Sweet Stuff (unless it is a relaxing bath) for the end of the day when you are too tired to move and your brain has stopped working. Take care of yourself first; if necessary, take a break during your day. This time is not a reward for good behavior and should not be contingent on doing anything “right.” Self-care is an important element of thriving as a PCOS Diva.
Movement Mindset
Find your Big Why for moving your body. If your Big Why is to look more attractive in order to please others, dig deeper.
Through my teens and twenties, my motivation to work out was to reduce the size of what I thought was my big butt. As a junior in high school, I had overheard a seventeen-year-old boy say, “She’d be cute if it wasn’t for her big butt.” This boy influenced my Big Why for the next decade. I would run for miles on the treadmill or road trying to literally run my butt off. It took all of the joy out of exercising. I finally came to embrace my round derriere. Enhancing what God has given me actually became one of the reasons I love barre workouts. Many of the movements are meant to lift and tone what the instructors refer to as your “seat.”
But my Big Why for moving is no longer to look good in a bathing suit, but rather to give me the energy and the grounded, stable, and uplifted mood to be the best version of myself I can be, for myself, my family, and to do the work of PCOS Diva. This Big Why creates a more sustainable and joy-filled movement mindset.
Take some time today to consider why movement should be a part of your life. To increase your fertility? To be able to play tag with your kids without feeling like you are going pass out? To feel strong? Write down your Big Why to keep you moving forward.
Food Prep for Wednesday, Day 10
Day 10
Meal Plan
| Breakfast | Snack (Optional) | Lunch | Snack (Required) | Dinner |
| Apple Cobbler Super-Seed Quick Oats | ¼ cup 5-Layer Trail Mix | Planned-over White Chicken Chili and mixed greens with Avocado-Lime Ranch Dressing | 6 Mary’s Gone Crackers and ⅓ cup Rosemary White Bean Dip | Caribbean Salmon and Pineapple Kabobs, Quinoa Pilaf, and mixed greens with Terrific Tahini Dressing |
Inspiration
“When you can’t change the direction of the wind—adjust your sails.” —H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
Affirmation
“I am stronger than my negative thoughts.”
When you have PCOS, it can be easy to dwell on what you feel you are not: not fertile enough, not feminine enough, not thin enough. Just plain not enough. We often spend our mental energy focusing on what is wrong with us, but I want you to realize that you are more than what you lack. Once you shift from dwelling on what you are not to celebrating what you are, then you can begin to truly heal.
Celebrating who you are, what makes you unique, your strengths and gifts begins with awareness. It was hard for me to put a finger on what my gifts were. I was so focused on all of the things I lacked that I really didn’t know what made me special. I needed to realize what I brought to this world and begin using those gifts. Once I began this process, my life became much more joy-filled. Sure, PCOS is part of who you are, and if you can come to a place of acceptance (and as we will explore in Chapter 10, even gratitude), the journey will become easier.
Diva Do
Three tools helped me to discover my own unique character traits and strengths. The first is the Jung Typology Test, a free personality test created by Humanmetrics and based on Carl Jung’s and Isabel Briggs Myers’s personality-type theories. (Please note that this is not the official Myers-Briggs Type Indicator personality test that is administered by certified MBTI practitioners. For more information on the MBTI, see http://www.myersbriggs.org/my-mbti-personality-type/.)
I am an INFJ. When I started learning more about my INFJ personality traits, I discovered that this personality type is very rare, making up less than 1 percent of the population. I always thought that my traits and talents were the same as everyone else’s and that we just applied them differently. They are actually unique gifts. I took my strengths for granted. I’ve since learned to celebrate all of the things that I am: creative, insightful, inspiring, decisive, determined, passionate, and altruistic. Take the test and see what you learn about yourself.
I also like the VIA Survey of Character Strengths. It is a free, simple self-assessment that takes less than 15 minutes and provides a wealth of information to help you understand your core characteristics. It was created under the direction of Dr. Martin Seligman, the “father of positive psychology” and author of Authentic Happiness and Flourish. My top three character strengths are love of learning, social intelligence, and spirituality.
When I’m using my gifts, writing this book, for instance, I’m in a state of flow. Time sort of goes away. It seems as if it has only been 15 minutes, and when I look up, it has been three hours. As the mythologist Joseph Campbell would say, I am following my bliss. When I use my strengths, I feel happy, have less stress and more vitality, and am more content with my life. If you do the same, you will be too.
Finally, I love the “How to Fascinate” personality test created by Sally Hogshead. This test measures how others perceive you at your best as a way of identifying your unique strengths and gifts. After you answer twenty-eight short questions, the test reveals your hidden talents and personality archetype. As the website says, “The best parts of you might not have been obvious to you before. But now they can be.” I have done this test with all of the members of my family, and it is really uncanny how accurate the results are. It reaffirmed what I already considered to be their gifts and helped them to see them for themselves. According to How to Fascinate, I’m a “wise owl”: observant, assured, unruffled, logical, and nuanced. I’m watchful of the details and systematically approach problems to find the best solutions. It feels good to know what makes me unique, and this knowledge helps me to capitalize on my strengths and gifts.
I suggest that you:
What is holding you back from getting out there and moving your body in ways that feel good? For a lot of women, it is the fear of being seen and judged. My client Vicky told me that she loved to swim. When I asked her why she didn’t swim regularly, I thought she would say that she just didn’t have access to a swimming pool, but instead she said, “I’d have to put on a bathing suit!” Well, yes that is true. It turned out that Vicky didn’t want to put on a bathing suit, because she thought that everyone at the YMCA pool would stare at her and judge her. As an outsider, it was easy for me to see that her fear of being seen and judged was a self-limiting belief that was acting as barrier to what she wanted.
Today, identify your limiting beliefs in connection with movement. The longer we hold on to a belief, the more it becomes ingrained in our minds; it seems like it is “truth” when in fact it is not. It may take a friend or spouse to help you uncover your limiting beliefs.
Make a list of your limiting beliefs connected with movement. What limiting beliefs are keeping you from moving your body in ways that you love and that feel good? Is it that you think people will judge you? Or you might get injured? Or you just don’t have the time or money? Write them all down in your journal.
How have these limiting beliefs kept you from experiencing the fullness and joy of life? Vicky realized that her limiting belief was holding her back from doing what she loved and fueling a sense of lack, that she was not enough.
About each belief, ask yourself the following three questions:
You may have to enlist a partner or friend to help you with number 3. Often you can have a laugh about how crazy the limiting belief is when you look at it from the outside. Other times, it is a mindset issue that will take time and perseverance to overcome.
Neutralize the limiting belief with positive visualization. Visualize a positive outcome. Vicky visualized herself heading to the pool with her head held high, shoulders back, and a smile on her face, thinking all the way how good it would feel to be in the water swimming. Spend a few minutes visualizing your positive outcome.
After going through this exercise, Vicky was able to move beyond her limiting belief. Instead of dwelling on what was holding her back from moving her body in ways that she loved and that felt good, she focused on her Big Why, which was getting healthy, so she could be a better mom for her son. She realized that what she once thought was a truth was just a mirage. She realized that without dwelling on the negative limiting belief, she was free to live her life on her terms. She was free to live abundantly. She was free to do what was important to her. Imagine what you can accomplish and how great you will feel when you have dispelled your limiting beliefs.
Food Prep for Thursday, Day 11
Meal Plan
| Breakfast | Snack (Optional) | Lunch | Snack (Required) | Dinner |
| Ginger Peach Smoothie | ¼ cup Sweet Spiced Pepitas | 10-Layer Salad in a Jar with salmon and Terrific Tahini Dressing | 1 Pumpkin Spice Protein Bar | Spring Greens Soup, Lemon-Pepper Chicken Drumsticks, and vegetable crudités with Avocado-Lime Ranch Dressing |
Inspiration
“One day she finally grasped that unexpected things were always going to happen in life. And with that she realized the only control she had was how she chose to handle them. So, she made the decision to survive using courage, humor, and grace. She was the Queen of her own life and the choice was hers.” —Kathy Kinney, Queenofyourownlife.com
Affirmation
“I am allowed to say no to others and yes to myself.”
Diva Daily
For many of us, deciding to say no to others is a constant battle. By declining a request, we worry that we will be perceived as impolite or selfish. But as difficult as it may be, it is essential to your well-being to say no when you want or need to. It’s okay to appear selfish when it comes to your health.
It is hard to say no, especially if we are people pleasers and fear disappointing or hurting someone. So we often say yes to others at the expense of ourselves. We can spend way too much time and energy trying to keep others happy. Yet we are not responsible for anyone else’s reaction, and it is far better to feel uncomfortable saying no than resentful saying yes. In order to thrive, we must create space in our lives dedicated to self-care, enjoyment, and pleasure. Yet our lives are often filled with so many obligations and mandatory commitments that it’s hard to squeeze in “me time” for rest and recovery.
If I don’t squeeze in this time, I end up frustrated and stressed, and I don’t have the space to say yes to the really important things. I find it helpful to think of my wellness and happiness on a spectrum; the more I commit to things I prefer not to, the farther I move away from my vision of living like a PCOS Diva. I love this sentiment by one of my favorite authors, Katrina Kenison, as it sums up this idea perfectly: “Solitude is the soul’s holiday, an opportunity to stop doing for others and to surprise and delight ourselves instead.”
Diva Do
Today say yes to the things that make your soul feel happy. Say yes to the things that give you enjoyment, that benefit you, that contribute positively to your health or add meaning to your life. Life is too full of things that we can’t choose to say yes or no to—so we need to make all of our other time count. Start spending more time saying yes to yourself and less time regretting decisions. Setting boundaries is not only empowering; it’s necessary to your health, your progress, and channeling your energy into what truly matters to you.
Movement Mindset
Any form of movement done as a means of “beating yourself up” is harmful. Exercising out of compulsion, excessive competition, or lack of self-acceptance is a sign of a dis-eased, unbalanced movement mindset. It doesn’t matter if the exercise is yoga, running, or dancing.
I used to run to punish myself for having a body that didn’t cooperate with me, for having a body that had more fat than I wanted. I didn’t run because I loved movement. Now on a warm summer day I love to go for a run. It brings me joy and nourishes me, because I give myself permission to do it in a way that feels good. I allow myself to go slower and add walk breaks. I listen to joyful music and am very mindful of the beauty of nature. Instead of focusing on my pace, beating my previous time, or how many calories I’ve burned, I focus on the entire sensory experience and all of the things I am grateful for. Those feelings of happiness and gratitude propel me forward. It is a completely different movement experience than running on a treadmill to burn calories.
When was the last time you exercised and felt better, mentally and physically, than before you began? When was the last time you felt balanced, nourished, and happy after moving your body? It is okay if the last time was when you were a child. Try to recall what you were doing. Whatever it is, bring more of that kind of movement into your life. Maybe what you loved to do falls within the categories of HIIT, strength training, or mind–body exercise. If it does, wonderful. But even if it doesn’t, don’t let that keep you from moving. Begin shifting your mindset to realize that movement isn’t just a chore you do a few times a week. Movement is a lifestyle in which you move as much as possible because it feels good.
Food Prep for Friday, Day 12
Meal Plan
| Breakfast | Snack (Optional) | Lunch | Snack (Required) | Dinner |
| Spinach, Tomato, and Basil Egg Scramble | ¼ cup 5-Layer Trail Mix | Planned-over Spring Greens Soup and Lemon-Pepper Chicken Drumsticks | 6 Mary’s Gone Crackers and ⅓ cup Rosemary White Bean Dip | Citrus Fajitas with Cashew-Lime Crema and broccoli with Lemon-Dijon Sauce |
Inspiration
“Even the smallest changes in our daily routine can create incredible ripple effects that expand our vision of what is possible.” —Charles F. Glassman
Affirmation
“Abundance flows into my life with ease.”
Diva Daily
The simple ritual of afternoon tea—selecting, brewing, sipping, and savoring a cup of tea—can elevate you above the chaos of life. The stolen moment with a cup of tea allows for a pause in a hectic day, provides an opportunity to be mindful of blessings, and fortifies you, so you can take on the remainder of your day a bit more energized, centered, and balanced.
In addition to all of the health benefits of tea discussed in Chapter 4, research shows that even brief periods of relaxation can reduce cortisol levels, lower heart rates, and make us feel less anxious and stressed. A double-blind study in which half of the subjects incorporated tea into their lives for six weeks found that those drinking tea had significantly lower cortisol levels and a greater sense of relaxation.
Hopefully, you have been enjoying a cup of hot tea during afternoon snack time as laid out in the plan. Today step up this habit to create a tea ritual of sorts for yourself. You will prepare, sip, and savor your tea in a very mindful way, much like the way you’ve been eating your chocolate. Think of your afternoon teatime as an opportunity for extreme self-care and stress reduction. If you have an heirloom tea service in a china cabinet or in a box in your attic, now is the time to get it out of storage and put it to good use. If you don’t have a pretty little teapot and special cup, make a point to treat yourself and purchase one in the near future. If you work in an office, think about investing in a stash of your own tea and a tea ball infuser. Bring your favorite cup to work to use.
Relaxation begins with choosing the tea. Check in with yourself. What kind of tea will hit the spot today? Perhaps a refreshing spearmint, hearty spiced black chai, a flowery oolong, or astringent matcha?
I’ve become somewhat of a tea snob. Gone are the days of grabbing a box of grocery-store tea bags. Although conventional tea bags are convenient, commercially produced tea is harvested with machines that take both old and new leaves as well as twigs from the plants. Another problem with commercially produced bagged tea is that the tea bags are bleached with chlorine, which can leach into the tea during steeping. The chlorine also contributes to the shorter shelf life of tea-bag tea, approximately six months. Loose-leaf tea, if stored properly, can last up to a year and a half.
With most loose-leaf tea, only the top two leaves and bud are hand plucked and used. These young parts contain the most antioxidants; the longer the leaves spend on the bush, the fewer the health benefits. There is something extra special about opening a tin of loose-leaf tea, inhaling the fragrance of the leaves, and spooning it into a pretty teapot. Experiment with different teas. See how they make your body feel, and find ones that suit both your tastes and your moods. I love a cup of matcha in the morning, Earl Grey in the afternoon, and chamomile before bedtime.
Spoon out the tea leaves, 1 teaspoon per cup.
Add water to a kettle and set it over heat. If you are really being persnickety, you’ll want the water between 165 and 195 degrees F., which is below boiling. You don’t want to burn the tea leaves.
When the water is ready, pour the water over the tea as if you’re watering a plant, and let the tea steep for 3 to 5 minutes. The tea becomes more bitter the longer it brews.
The most powerful part of the ritual is patience. You must wait for the water to rise to the right temperature. You must wait to let the tea leaves steep. You can’t rush the process. It will take the time that it will take. These are the mindful moments that ground me during my day. I don’t try to fit in another email or unload the dishwasher. I take these moments just for me. I gaze out the window and notice a blooming flower or busy bee. I think of the blessings of the day. I breathe in the aroma of the tea.
Sip the tea slowly, savoring the warm, full flavor. You can’t drink a cup of hot tea quickly, so give yourself permission to slow down and take these few moments just for you. It is a sweet surrender. I promise you’ll finish your cup with a renewed sense of calm and peace.
Movement Mindset
When I was in my late teens, I ran every day for an entire year without missing a day, whether it was raining, sleeting, or snowing, even if I was sick or tired. I thought if I stopped, I’d never be able to start again. I had an “all or nothing” mindset when it came to movement, and it eventually led to shin splints, adrenal fatigue, and eventually burnout. I thought that the only movement that counted was my daily five-mile run. When I was forced to take a break due to a stress fracture, I did nothing for many months. I thought the only meaningful exercise was to run—hard and fast, with my heart pounding, my face red, and sweat pouring off of me. If I couldn’t experience that, nothing else mattered. But when my mood tanked and fatigue set in, I realized that if I couldn’t run, I had to find other ways keep moving. I couldn’t let optimal be the enemy of good enough.
I soon was surprised to learn that every minute I moved my body counted. My body felt good and I lost weight when I shifted from running long distances to practicing yoga, walking, gardening, and doing Pilates.
It’s important to remember that with movement, any change that improves your life is a good one. If you’re doing nothing, doing something is the first important step toward living like a PCOS Diva. Find peace in the fact that something is always better than nothing.
There will be days you’ll be able to complete your scheduled hour-long workout. Other days, the only movement you’ll get is your 15-minute after-lunch walk, but it’s important to remember that the 15-minute walk is better than no walk. At the end of the day, every small step is a victory. It is one more positive choice added to the ever growing set of positive choices you’re making.
Finally, please, please don’t start down the slippery slope of comparing your movement choices and habits to those of others. Just because your friend is competing in a Tough Mudder doesn’t mean that is the right choice for you.
Week Three Weekend Prep: Get a Running Start
Thrive Week is coming! Now is the time to begin planning and prep for Week Three. In addition to your daily food prep this weekend, you’ll do your weekend prep. During Weeks One and Two, I provided the meal plans and recipes. Now you are ready branch out and start applying what you have learned.
For Week Three, you will do your own meal planning. Remember that meal planning is an act of self-care. Set aside a bit of time today or tomorrow to craft your meal plan for next week. Use the meal-planning tips in Step 9 of Chapter 6. I’ve included additional recipes in Chapter 11 for you to use for breakfast, lunch, and dinner as well as more ideas for snacks and sweet treats. Also, there is no shortage of recipe ideas online (including my Seasonal Meal Plans and recipes on PCOSDiva.com) and at your local library or bookstore. Sometimes, I like to grab a cup of tea at my local bookstore, browse through books and magazines for ideas, and work out my Meal Plan while I enjoy a bit of relaxation time.
As you plan, remember to look for recipes that are gluten free, processed-soy free, low-dairy or dairy free, with a good dose of healthy fat, lots of veggies, and clean protein. Use the PCOS Diva Plate as a guide.
Sometime during the next day or two, put together your meal plan and shopping list and make time to shop and get yourself prepared for Thrive Week ahead. Also, be sure you look at your calendar for next week and begin scheduling in time for movement as you would doctor’s appointments. The more you prep, plan, and schedule, the more successful and lower stress next week will be.
Food Prep for Saturday, Day 13
Meal Plan
| Breakfast | Snack (Optional) | Lunch | Snack (Required) | Dinner |
| Apple Pie Smoothie | celery sticks and 2 tablespoons cashew butter with 5 dried cranberries | 10-Layer Salad in a Jar with planned-over Citrus Fajitas, guacamole, and salsa | ¼ cup 5-Layer Trail Mix | EAT OUT |
Inspiration
“Indulgence isn’t a sign of failure; it’s an opportunity to experience pure pleasure.” —Terri Trespicio
Affirmation
“I deserve pleasure.”
Diva Daily
Strive to use food as medicine and eat lots of whole foods, because they provide your body with the nutrients and nourishment needed to support health. That said, remember that being a PCOS Diva isn’t about deprivation and denial. If you deprive yourself of a food that you really want, chances are that you will eventually binge on the very food you were denying yourself. Deprivation and denial promote disordered eating, and all-or-nothing thinking derails us most often. Think of an indulgence as a food that is not on the daily Healing PCOS Plan, but without ever experiencing it again, life just wouldn’t be as sweet. I couldn’t imagine life without my grandmother’s turkey dressing at the holidays, chocolate-chip ice cream at the beach, or a slice of freshly baked apple pie after an afternoon of apple picking. So, on occasion, give yourself permission to indulge in a few bites of something you really crave, even if it is off the Healing PCOS Plan, without guilt, shame, or remorse.
Eat something “indulgent” with pleasure and without guilt. Here are some guidelines for you to follow.
Know and avoid your “spiral” foods. Spiral foods are the ones you just can’t stop eating, and eating them brings no sense of satisfaction. Potato chips are a spiral food for me. One handful is never enough, and I never feel satisfied, even after eating the whole bag. Do not choose a spiral food as an indulgence. In fact, keep spiral foods out of your home.
Don’t think of an indulgence as a reward. An indulgence isn’t a reward for being “good” all week. An indulgence has a rightful place in the PCOS Diva lifestyle.
Pick a day and plan for an indulgence. As with many things in the PCOS Diva lifestyle, an indulgence should be planned. Planning can take away the guilt and feeling of cheating and allows you to mindfully savor and enjoy the indulgence. In addition, planning gives you something to look forward to, and because you have set the schedule, you are in control. This might mean delaying gratification a bit, which is a good thing. It helps to identify what you really desire. Sunday is typically the day I plan for an indulgence. I’ll often make something delicious, usually from the PCOS Diva recipes, for dessert after Sunday dinner.
Be sure your indulgence is worth it. When you really want a chocolate-chip cookie, don’t go for the packaged grocery-store version filled with preservatives. Make your own cookies, so you can control the quality of ingredients; try my Chocolate Chip Cookies. Enjoy a cookie or two and then share the rest.
Be mindful as you enjoy your indulgence. Take your time, sit down, and avoid distractions. Focus all of your attention on what you are doing and on the food(s) you are eating. Notice the smell, appearance, texture, and taste of the food(s) and the sound as you chew. Relish each bite.
Consider the law of diminishing returns. The law of diminishing returns is an economic principle that says there is a point at which the level of profits or benefits gained decreases with an increase in the amount of money or energy invested. I encourage you to approach your indulgences with this principle in mind. I’ve found that after three bites of an indulgent dessert, like flourless chocolate cake, the pleasure begins to diminish. This is when I put my fork down. I’m satisfied. I don’t feel deprived. I’m in control, and it feels good. I can move forward with no guilt, just contentment.
Record your indulgence. Record the experience in your food journal. Write down how you felt while you were eating the food. Then be sure to check back with yourself two hours after eating. How is your energy compared to before you indulged? How is your mood? Your ability to focus? Do you have any sinus congestion, joint pain, digestive issues, or other physical complaints? You may decide that indulging in certain foods is not worth the trouble. I’ve learned that often “nothing tastes as good as feeling good feels.” That is how I feel about crème brûlée these days. As much as I love it, the bloating and stomach distress I experience after eating it just isn’t worth it.
Movement Mindset
Inevitably, there are days when I just don’t feel like moving, or I think I’m too busy to dedicate time to movement. Resistance sets in, and I slip back into the all-or-nothing mindset. These resistance busters help to keep me moving:
Give it 10. Getting started is usually the hardest hurdle to clear. But if you can make it through the 5 minutes it takes for you to get ready for a session (changing into appropriate clothing, lacing up your shoes, etc.) and the first 5 minutes of your session, you’ll most likely want to keep going. So if you’re feeling reluctant to work out, tell yourself you only need to give it 10 minutes—that’s nothing!—and then get ready and get started.
Sleep in your workout clothes. If you’re in your workout clothes in the morning when the alarm rings, all you have to do is put your feet on the floor, and you are only one move away from getting laced up and off to your workout.
Put money on the line. I schedule my barre workouts for the week ahead using my studio’s mobile app. This accountability keeps me on track and gets me to class, because if I cancel less than three hours before class begins, I have to pay the studio $15. In the two years I’ve gone to barre, I’ve only paid once. Who wants to lose 15 bucks? Prepay for your training sessions or group fitness workouts or find another way to put money on the line.
Reward yourself. Set up rewards for hitting short-term movement goals. Give yourself something special from your Sweet Stuff list.
Join a group class. My 50-minute barre classes go by in a flash because of the fun music, new exercises, sense of community, and camaraderie. Being in a group of supportive people all working hard together helps me to dig deeper and push a bit harder than I would at home by myself. I feel a connection with the women and instructors at my studio, and it keeps me coming back. Plus, once I am there, I become reenergized.
Find a buddy. Exercise partners provide a powerful combination of support, accountability, motivation, and, in some cases, healthy competition. When you have someone waiting to work out with you, it’s a lot harder to make an excuse not to go.
Do something you love. Since I really like Zumba, I don’t want to miss class, even though it’s early in the morning. It would be much harder to get up so early for a spinning class, since I don’t enjoy it.
Use technology. Start a Facebook group with friends, use an app to track your steps, or join an online community to keep you challenged and accountable.
Food Prep for Sunday, Day 14
Meal Plan
| Breakfast | Snack (Optional) | Lunch | Snack (Required) | Dinner |
| Fruit Scone | ¼ cup 5-Layer Trail Mix | Layered Lunch Wrap with Curried Egg Salad | ½ cup fresh or frozen berries and ¼ cup almonds | Savory Salisbury Steak, Root Veggie Mash, roasted asparagus (6-Step Roasted Veggies, and sliced tomato |
Inspiration
“Don’t start your day with the broken pieces of yesterday. Every morning we wake up is the first day of the rest of our life.” —Anonymous
Affirmation
“I breathe in possibility and breathe out fear.”
Diva Daily
Most of the women with PCOS whom I have worked with, myself included, have some level of chronic anxiety. We worry. We take on other people’s feelings and energy. Dr. Nancy Dunne helped me reframe this worry and anxiety into “alertness.” On my PCOS Diva podcast, she shared, “I’d rather say we are mentally alert, that our nervous systems are in fact turned up a little bit higher. Our sympathetic nervous system is a little bit more reactive when we have a higher androgen status, and in our current culture that can mean things like chronic anxiety and insomnia and eventually depression. It can also be flipped on its other side to give us advantages of perception and motivation to change.”
Years ago, I was introduced to the work of Dr. Elaine N. Aron, who has written multiple studies and books on high sensitivity, including The Highly Sensitive Person. She also developed a self-test (which you will take in today’s Diva Do) to help you determine if you are highly sensitive. She estimates that 15 to 20 percent of people have nervous systems that process stimuli intensely. They think deeply. They feel deeply (physically and emotionally). They easily become overstimulated. Dr. Aron has identified people with higher-tuned nervous systems as highly sensitive persons (HSP) and asserts that they are genetically predisposed to be more aware and empathic. Dr. Aron has studied this phenomenon extensively and, using MRI brain scans, she’s found that highly sensitive people experience sounds, feelings, and even the presence of other people much more intensely than the average person.
I’ve tried to describe to my husband the way I feel when I am overstimulated by noise, emotion, too many things on my to-do list, and other people’s negative energy. The only way that seems to make sense to him is to think of me as a computer that is processing so much information that it starts acting glitchy and freezes. Like that computer, I need to reboot by taking a nap, going to acupuncture, taking a bath, or a walk in nature or doing another form of self-care. Once I’ve shut down for a little while, I’m restored and can operate more efficiently.
I no longer see being mentally alert or highly sensitive as a limitation. It is an asset as long as I know how to support myself. Being highly sensitive is a characteristic of a truly alive and compassionate human being.
Diva Do
Take Dr. Aron’s Highly Sensitive Person Test (hsperson.com). If you score 14 points or more, you are part of the club.
Knowing that I am a highly sensitive person was a huge “aha” moment on my journey. Self-awareness is an important part of living like a PCOS Diva, because it helps you assess what you really need to practice better self-care. If you are a highly sensitive person, many of the Diva Daily lessons will help you manage your more alert and sensitive nervous system. Successful highly sensitive PCOS Divas practice habits that truly nourish them.
Movement Mindset
Planning is key in all areas of the PCOS Diva lifestyle. Planning your meals, shopping lists, and movement creates momentum and sustainability and sets you up for success. During Week Three, you will plan your own movement. So let’s do some homework now to make that process easier for you. Today you will work on your Movement Menu.
Come up with a list of various ways you can move your body for different time intervals. Describe your choices just like a menu in a fine restaurant:
Appetizer: A movement that takes 5 minutes or less
Entree: Longer sustained movement
Dessert: A short and really pleasurable movement
Most people don’t realize that it is not the “work” part of exercise they hate; it’s how boring the activity is. If this sounds like you, try to remember how you liked to move as a girl. Did you dance, do gymnastics, play basketball? Recalling those activities will get you back in touch with how your body likes to move. Keep this in mind as you create your Movement Menu. In addition, include activities you would like to try, such as a Zumba class or hot yoga.
Here are some samples from which to choose to create your Movement Menu:
Appetizers
Dessert