Regular exercise can be a huge benefit to an individual’s mental and physical health, and it is recommended that a person should get around thirty minutes of exercise a day or a minimum of an hour a day, three days a week.

However, regular exercise can also help alleviate the symptoms of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome like weight gain, anxiety and depression. Exercises like swimming and Zumba are considered great activities to help with the symptoms of PCOS and are fun too, but not everyone has a spare hour of the day to go running or head down to the local leisure centre. Thus, here are some five minute or less exercises you can do at work, at home or in the park that can be of some benefit to you:

The Boxer

Our first recommended move is influenced by boxing and will certainly make you feel like you’re fighting back at PCOS. All you have to do is punch the air while turning your body to the right, then alternate and punch to the left. Make sure you’re moving with your body and your feet are bout hip-width apart. Begin to move your feet in the opposite direction and kick out slightly. You should carry this on for a minute, so you’ll start to feel the burn in your arms and your core!

Reverse Lunge

Unfortunately, PCOS makes you feel like you’re not in control of your body as the syndrome has so many symptoms that start to impact your daily life and make you change the way you live. Exercise is a great way to battle these symptoms and put you back in control of your body.

A reverse lunge is a great way to get the heart pumping and your body moving. The exercise targets the muscles in your legs, like your thighs and your calves and also works the glutes too! All you have to do is step back with your left leg and keep your body upright. You can either keep your arms in front, slightly bent at the elbow, or place them on your hips. Lower your body down until your right leg in front becomes parallel with the floor. Stand back up in a controlled movement, switch legs and repeat on the other side.

Russian Twist

Exercise can help rebalance hormones, and it’s best you try to work out as many muscles as possible in a short workout. The Russian twist addresses your abs and core muscles and can be done with your legs crossed up in the air or firmly on the ground. Simply sit on the floor and put your hands together in a fist. Sit upright and twist your body from left to right using your core muscles. Make sure your hands go down to the side of your body after every twist to maximise the impact of the exercise. Remember to breathe and twist to either side equally.

Strengthening your core is also a great way to get ready for pregnancy too.

Remember to warm up and cool down after exercises and make sure to stretch out the muscles that you’ve been working.

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