PCOS (Shaped by Faith)

Joanne Fowler is a happy, energetic person who owns her own photography business, home schools her children and is happily married to a Pastor. When we first met, she explained to me how she used to be clinically depressed, tired all the time and felt guilt and shame because she felt so depressed and tired most days. When I heard her story of finding out she had Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) which is a health problem that affects one in 10 women of childbearing age, I knew she had to share this with more people. Women with PCOS have a hormonal imbalance and metabolism problems that may affect their overall health and appearance. If PCOS is not managed, a woman can grow facial hair, get severe acne and even grow a beard!

Joanne talked about having PCOS for a long time before she  got the necessary help to turn it around. She gives all the credit to God for helping her. God directed her to the right physician who gave her immediate action steps to take. She told me that within a few weeks, she felt remarkably better and for the first time in her life, she actually felt good. Joanne changed her diet to mostly low carbs and she tweaked her exercise routine, by lessening the amount of time she worked out. A person with PCOS is also insulate resistant, so the body does not behave normally. Joanne had to learn how to exercise in a way that would benefit her body instead of harm it.

Her story of struggling with deep depression for years, chronic fatigue and low energy turned around when she continued to seek help and pray for God to direct her steps. Listen to Joanne share all about her experience with PCOS on Shaped by Faith this Friday, Saturday and Sunday on 1490 WOMI & 99.1 M.

Joanne demonstrates a Pilates exercise called, "The Single Leg Stretch," that is gentle to her body but at the same time strengthens her core and elongates her muscles.