So, during a regular appointment earlier this week, my doctor confirmed what I’ve suspected for the past couple of months: My hormones are completely out of whack.

Ever dealt with a hormonal imbalance? It’s pretty stressful. Not only can it cause weight problems and wreak havoc on your skin , but a hormonal imbalance sometimes brings mental health symptoms like depression, anxiety, and disorientation.

Do I have any American readers today, or is everyone still lolling about in a tryptophan haze?

Actually, I’m sort of hoping that’s the case; the holidays can be so stressful, so if you’re relaxing today (and not out fighting the Black Friday crowds – *shudder*), good for you.

If you’re not…well, I have a few quotes that I think might help you de-stress and relax as you wind down from the Thanksgiving festivities – however successful or stressful they might have been.

Do you know the palm rule?

Whether you’re dieting because your weight prevents you from being physically active and healthy or you just want to become more mindful about the foods you use to nourish your body and mind, trying to eat a healthy diet can get stressful…

…and, sometimes when we get stressed, we eat more, exercise less, and, well, give up.

Which is entirely opposite of what you’re trying to achieve!

Below, I’ve listed three simple tips that can help you keep your diet simple, and therefore (I hope!) stay motivated and successful.

Feel free to chime in with your own tips in the comments, and remember: This isn’t a one-size-fits-all, prescription for diet, fitness, or weight loss as any of them relate to physical and mental health. These are merely tips, to be added or avoided as they work (or don’t) for the individual.

Happy Monday, Your Body, Your Mind readers!

Today (October 15, 2012) is Blog Action Day 2012!

(If you’re not familiar with Blog Action Day, it’s an event that “brings together bloggers from different countries, interests, and languages to blog about one important global topic on the same day.” You can learn more at www.blogactionday.org, as well as keep up with the Blog Action Day 2012 live coverage feed.)

Because this year’s Blog Action Day theme is “Power of We,” I thought Your Body, Your Mind had to get involved.

After all, when it comes to eating well, exercising, and all those other outside factors that help our insides, it’s easier when you have some help!

So, for Blog Action Day 2012, I decided to talk about how the Power of We applies to adopting a healthier lifestyle; namely, how getting other people involved helps!

The best fitness advice I’ve received was: Only do what you can imagine yourself doing every day from now on.

Keep this is mind and you’ll look at all your future diet and exercise plans in an entirely different light.

Why?

Because every plan you make from now on will be based on lifestyle changes rather than losing 10 pounds in a week.

Lifestyle changes bring and maintain real results; crash diets and extreme exercise plans might help you drop a few pounds by Saturday, but if it’s not something you can keep up, you’ll be right back in the same situation by next week.

Plus, chances are you’ll feel like you “failed” at reaching or maintaining whatever goal you set for yourself – a feeling that is damaging to your psyche and future success at reaching healthy goals.

So, every time I think about adding to – or taking away from – my current fitness regimen, I ask myself whether it’s something I think I can keep up. If so, great. If not, is it something that will benefit me only temporarily and am I okay with that?

What’s the best fitness advice you’ve ever received?

Happy Tuesday, readers!

Last week I told you about the mental health day I took (and the unsurprising surprise some folks felt when they found out).

Now, I’d like to share some pointers I learned during the day – some mental health day tips, if you will.

You might think taking a mental health day is a sort of no-brainer. You just call off school or work and chill out, right?

Well, sort of.

For a truly successful mental health day, though, there are a few tips you can follow.

Yesterday, I took a mental health day.

I’ve had a lot on my plate lately, most of it dealing with an occupation-related transition, and about half-way through my first cup of coffee yesterday morning, I decided I needed a mental health day.

Not many people knew about it simply because, aside from a few texts and a trip to Papa John’s (yes, Papa John’s – we’ll talk about that later), I didn’t really talk to anyone.

The one person I did call, though, had an…interesting reaction when she found out.

The conversation went a little something like this:

Happy Friday, readers!

This week’s Your Body, Your Mind Mental Health Month Challenge #4 was to take the stairs – both literally and figuratively.

This challenge meant everything walking the few blocks to work to skipping a night of American Idol to spend more time with your family.

First, how did I do with the challenge?

“I always feel good after swimming laps but I [don't have a pool anymore/can't find a swimsuit that fits right/don't want chlorine in my hair].”

“Long walks used to give me time to myself. I’d start again if only I had [somewhere safe to walk/the right shoes/more time in the morning].”

“I know yoga can help me with breathing and focus, but don’t I need [to take a class/buy lots of gear/wear certain clothes]?”

Sound familiar?

We’ve all been there. We know doing [whatever physical activity] brings both physical and mental health benefits, but we don’t do it.

Guilt? What? Life's way too short to slow down for that!

Earlier this week I talked about releasing guilt and harnessing the power of tomorrow.

You know the kind of guilt I’m talking about, too.

You’re trying to eat healthier foods to boost your energy and you make a midnight run to McDonald’s. You’re doing pretty well at your new daily jogging routine but you miss a day due to work, but then another due to being a little sore, and then another because, well, you really should use the extra time to reorganize your closet instead…

You get the idea. You’re make a mistake here and there, and suddenly you’re so overcome with guilt and shame that you start to think there’s no point in going forward with what you’ve started because, hey – you’ve already ruined it, right?

Wrong.