2022 PCOS Diva Holiday Gift Guide

 

Lumen

Most women with PCOS have insulin resistance. While continuous glucose monitors are great to use to see how food and lifestyle factors are impacting blood sugar, they only are active for 14 days at a time. This year I’ve been experimenting with the Lumen device and really love it. Lumen measures the CO2 in your breath through its sensor and flow meter, based on the RER metric (which before Lumen was only available as a test in a hospital setting) The Lumen device helps you hack your and improve your metabolism and insulin sensitivity because it accurately measure metabolic fuel usage – it tells you in real time if you are burning fats, carbs or a combo of both at any given time. When you’re burning fat, your body is converting the fat to carbon dioxide and water. You literally breathe fat out of your lungs. Lumen can distinguish between the high C02 burn rate of carbs and low C02 burn rate of fat.

Each morning, you breathe into the Lumen device and it determines the source of your body’s fuel — carbs or fats. And then the app makes recommendations and daily guidance on sleep, diet, exercise and more to improve your metabolic flexibility.  This is a pricey device but I have found that it has really helped me see how food, fasting, exercise and sleep affects my metabolism so I can make more informed choices. If you use code PCOSDIVA you’ll get a discount on your purchase.

 

Mindfulness Cards

I’m giving these out to my friends this year.  I keep the deck in my car and will pull a card out while I’m waiting in the carpool lane when picking my daughter up from school.  Each card includes an inspiring phrase on the front and a bite-size mindfulness exercise on the back.

 

Hatch Restore

This year I’ve upgraded my dawn simulator alarm clock to a Hatch Restore and I love it. Block out noise and disruptions with pink noise, light rain and many more background sounds to help you tune out any distractions that might keep you awake. And it works with your circadian rhythm – especially on dark winter mornings.  You wake up feeling refreshed with a gradual sunrise light and selection of sounds like morning birds, meditative flute or relaxing chimes without the jarring phone alarm and screens.

 

Magnolia Candle

One big benefit of my boys being in Waco, Texas at Baylor is that when I visit them I get to visit Magnolia Market too! I love scented candles but don’t love the endocrine disrupting phthalate fragrances. And most natural candles I’ve come across are not very fragrant, but these candles are amazing! They are made with lead-free cotton wicks, are crafted in the USA using a combination of phthalate-free fragrances and a blend of cosmetic and food-grade waxes, creating a cleaner burn with an aroma that will fill a room. They last a long time! Joyeux Noel was my favorite of the three Christmas Scents.  And I love the Gathered scent which is perfect for this time of year too.

 

Bentoheaven Bento Boxes 

Being a PCOS Diva requires planning, prepping and often traveling with food that will keep you on track. These Bento Boxes help you to pack and stash healthy food on the go while you are away from home. Every part of the BPS- and BPA-free bento box is completely food-safe, leak-proof and can easily be put in the dishwasher, freezer, or microwave.

 

Clean Wine Gift Box

This is a gift to myself. I love a nice glass of red wine. Red wine is rich in phytonutrients, of which some of the most important are polyphenols. Polyphenols not only act as antioxidants but also serve to nourish good gut bacteria. I recommend drinking wine that has been produced organically and naturally – i.e., “Dry Farmed”  without herbicides or intensive human intervention. Since commercial wines also undergo industrial filtration and processing, most of the shelf wine in the US doesn’t contain as many beneficial phytonutrients or yeasts, like  S, cerevisiae. Dry Farm Wines are a bit pricier than supermarket wine.  But they are guaranteed sugar-free, organic and non toxic additive-free.  And if you you go to http://www.dryfarmwines.com/pcosdiva you’ll get your first bottle for 1 cent.

Habit Journal

Being a PCOS Diva at the core is about changing the way you Think, Eat and Move, so you can thrive with PCOS.  I teach habits to support the PCOS Diva in my book Healing PCOS and in my online Jumpstart Program www.pcosdiva.com/jumpstart. This Habit Journal is a perfect compliment to both. The Journal has  a structured format to help you create productive habits to achieve your goals, it offers a monthly habit planner, a daily journal to set daily intentions and record daily gratitudes, a monthly habit review, and a habit tracker.

Pinch Me Therapy Dough

PCOS Divas needs lots of tools in their toolkit to reduce and manage stress and anxiety.  This is a fun tool to get back to center. Pinch Me Therapy Dough is a professionally developed, soft, pliable dough infused with calming aromatherapy. It is a a simple, holistic way to take the edge off. I like the scent of lavender in the SPA scented dough which helps me to relax.

Sugar Sugar Wax Kit

I came across a product that is a safe and natural at-home option for hair removal. Sugar Sugar Wax is a gentle way to get rid of unwanted hair. I recently have been using this kit and am so impressed with the results. Get 15% off with code: PCOSDIVA15.  Learn more about Sugaring on PCOS Diva

 

Lightstim for Acne

Many women with PCOS struggle with acne.  Getting to the root cause and addressing it is essential, whether that root is food intolerances (especially dairy), gut issues, elevated androgens and/or inflammation. While you are working on root causes, this Lightstim for Acne is very helpful.  It really works!  LightStim for Acne uses blue light to destroy acne-causing bacteria, and red light to help soothe and calm the skin. This helps clear existing breakouts in order to give you visibly improved, healthy-looking skin. While I no longer suffer from acne, I do have rosacea from time to time (especially when I’m stressed) and this light helps with this skin condition as well.

 

Zulay Frother 

Ive written extensively about how tea is so healing for PCOS.  What better beverage to warm up with on a cold winter’s morning than a nice chai or matcha latte . This frother makes it easy to whip in some non-dairy creamer to your tea or coffee. I also love this frother to blend homemade oil based salad dressings.

 

Verilux Happy Light Halo

I will be asking Santa for this portable Happy Light this year.  I have a light sitting on my office desk.  But I’ve found that sometimes I just can’t sit there for a full light therapy session – I have things to do and places to go!  Now I’ll be able to enjoy the uplifting power of bright light therapy with the cordless, on-the-go HappyLight Halo from Verilux. Designed to boost your mood, improve your sleep, enhance your focus, and kickstart your energy, the daily dose of 10,000 lux you get from our light therapy lamps can make every morning a little bit brighter. Now with the convenience of a detachable design, you can enjoy your everyday light therapy anywhere!

 

Jetti Poles

Jetti Poles were created by Joyce Shulman, author of “Walk Your Way to Better” and founder of the 99 Walks app. She is also a big advocate of walking and encourages women to walk every day.These poles were created to enhance your walk and make it an even better workout, without being too taxing. The walking sticks increase calorie expenditure by an average of 55.6% while simultaneously easing stress on the joints and providing stability. I might look a little silly walking with these in my neighborhood, but I do feel a difference in the intensity of my walk.  If you are looking for a way to level up your walks these are a great gift and you can pair them with the 99 Walks app too.