Why Go Hard or Go Home Is Actually Ruining Your Hormones

When you get a diagnosis like PCOS, the fitness world loves to hand you a long list of rules (and yes I have seen most of these rules benefit me). Suddenly, you are told to watch your cortisol levels, avoid over-stressing your system, and rethink the high-intensity workouts that used to be your go-to.

For a long time, I associated “cardio” with the grind. I was riding my bike around town 3x week but I live in such a hilly part of town. These easy rides were actually pretty tough. So when my body required a shift, I had to find a way to keep my heart healthy and manage my symptoms without draining my energy.

Enter my new obsession: daily YouTube step aerobics class.

I started doing this step class right in my living room every week day, and let me tell you, it completely changed the game for me. It is fast, it is rhythmic, and it is pure fun! I am sweating, I am moving to the beat, and for forty-ish minutes, I completely forget that I am technically “managing a condition.”

With PCOS, managing stress is just as important as managing physical activity. If your workout makes you miserable, your body registers that stress. Or so the professionals tell me this. By switching to something that feels like a dance party rather than a chore, I am (hopefully) lowering my stress hormones while still getting all the amazing cardiovascular benefits (yes, I am still weight training on top of this and daily walks).

This shift has also completely refreshed my devotional life. It reminded me of Psalm 149:3, which says, “Let them praise his name with dancing, making melody to him with tambourine and lyre.”

My word for this year is joy and I have genuinely been pursuing the experience of the Lord’s love without service. Simply enjoying life with Him as His daughter. Grace.

For years, I treated exercise like a transaction: I give the gym my effort, and the gym gives me a certain physique. But stepping and dancing in my living room feels like a physical expression of gratitude. It is a way of telling the Lord, “Thank you for this temple. Thank you that despite a diagnosis, my legs still move, my heart still pumps, and I can still celebrate the life You gave me.”

If you are walking through a hormonal shift, or if you are just completely bored with your current fitness routine, I challenge you to step (literally) out of the box. You do not have to live on the treadmill to stay healthy.

• Find a workout that uses music to guide the pace. Let someone lead you so you can turn your brain off. Trick your brain into enjoying the endurance aspect.
• YouTube is flooded with free step, dance, and low-impact cardio classes you can try in the privacy of your own home. I already had a stepper so I purchased nothing for this new workout.
• If you aren’t smiling at least once during the workout, try something else next.

My journey with PCOS is forcing me to become an investigator of my own health, and right now, the data says that joy is the best medicine. Grab a step, turn on a video, and let’s move for His glory!

Love, Cass