This post is part of a week-long yoga series at Your Body, Your Mind.

Exercise, mediation, massage therapy – these are all complementary (and, for some folks, solitary) ways to

Halogen TV, which describes itself as “the only television network focused on socially conscious entertainment,” recently presented a piece outlining yoga poses we can use to better manage our anxiety and depression symptoms.

Happy Tuesday, beautiful readers!

We’ve survived Thanksgiving, but with Christmas just a week away and New Year’s just a week after that, it’s safe to say we’re still in the thick of the holiday season.

Which means, for some of us, there are still a lot of stress and anxiety triggers coming our way.

As such, the good people over at the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) are hosting a Twitter chat on using complementary health practices like yoga, meditation, and tai chi to manage stress and anxiety – specifically, the safety and efficacy of these mind and body practices.

During the chat, you’ll get to meet John Glowa, Ph.D., the NCCAM expert who oversees the organization’s behavioral health research portfolio, and Daniel Pine, M.D. from the NIH’s National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).

Note that:

• The chat is today (Tuesday, December 18, 2012) at 3:30 p.m. EST. (Got a free minute between now and then? Check out highlights from a previous NIH NCCAM Twitter chat: 5 Resources for Depression and Complementary Health Practices)
• You should go ahead and follow the NIH NCCAM on Twitter at @NCCAM.
• The hashtag for the chat is #nccamchat.

Hope to see you there!

Image Credit

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.

If you missed the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) Twitter chat last Friday, don’t worry: You don’t have to scroll through all the #nccamchat hashtags on Twitter to catch up!

The NCCAM has archived the chat so you can browse through the tweets at your leisure.

Autumn is awesome, isn’t it?

I mean, really?

Crisp air, brightly colored leaves, carving jack-o’-lanterns, getting lost in corn mazes, finally digging out those layers (the girls know what I mean), and…

Oh, yeah!

Delicious foods!

Of course, we already know how good fall foods are, but do we know how they benefit us beyond our taste buds?

Here’s a list of 5 ways fall foods can improve your mood.

Mmm…

It’s a nice, lazy kind of afternoon for brunch, isn’t it?

(Well, it would be if you’re reading this at the time of publishing, ha!)

If you’re looking for a gluten-free food for breakfast or brunch – one that will fill you up as well as satisfy your sweet tooth – might I suggest Udi’s Gluten-Free Cinnamon Rolls?

That’s right! It’s time for another review in my ongoing gluten-lite journey!

Any fast food junkies out there?

Any fast food junkies dealing with depression?

According to scientists from the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and the University of Granada, there’s a direct connection between fast food and commercial baked goods and the risk of developing depression.

Fast food consumers are 51% more likely to develop depression than people who never or rarely eat fast food!

The study also showed:

…those participants who ate the most fast food and commercial baked goods were more likely to be single, less active and have poor dietary habits (eating less fruit, nuts, fish, vegetables and olive oil). It was also common for individuals in this group to smoke and work over 45 hours per week.

So, if you’re consuming a lot of fast food and aren’t really sure how to break the cycle (or have tried and failed), these tips might help you:

Are you a recovering alcoholic or drug addict? Have you thought about incorporating yoga in your recovery?

Maybe you should give it a try.

That, for many people, yoga is an effective way to manage mental health issues like anxiety and depression is no secret; however, according to Jennifer Garam’s Sun Salutations in Sobriety, people also use yoga to break through the “spiritual wall” many recovering addicts hit and continue on their sobriety path.

Apparently, this isn’t a new or secret idea, either. Sarah, the nine-year sober New Yorker quoted in the article, started using yoga during her seventh year, and folks like Rolf Gates, Nikki Myers, and Tommy Rosen write about and teach yoga programs designed for people in recovery.

(Of course, you can Google just about any combination of “yoga and sobriety,” “yoga and recovery,” and “yoga and addiction” and you’ll find tons of related blogs, forums, and programs.)

So, why is yoga working so well for people in recovery?

As I mentioned last week, I’ve been struggling with stress eating lately.

(I should point out that that’s not me over there to the left. I keep my nails better manicured, and I usually have less facial hair.)

It wasn’t until fairly recently (after I’d gained a few pounds and noticed a box of my favorite Kashi bars wasn’t going as far as it used to) that I realized I was stress eating.

After some research (and extra time on the treadmill), I came up with a plan to tackle emotional eating.

It’s more of an outline, really: Learn what you’re dealing with, replace it with something healthy, and eliminate or learn to manage the issue causing the emotional eating.

Talk about great timing!

Remember Monday’s interview with personal trainer and self-proclaimed “fitness junkie” Jackie Burgmann? (If you don’t, you missed some GREAT information – go check it out!)

Well, Psych Central’s Caroline Comeaux Lee recently posted a review of Jane Baxter’s Manage Your Depression Through Exercise: The Motivation You Need To Start And Maintain An Exercise Program.

If you’re wondering how this book is any different from any other book (or class or video or – well, you get the idea) about working out, Lee tells us:

Many exercise books and programs can make beginners feel like they are being thrown into the deep end of a pool to learn to swim. Dr. Baxter takes a slower approach; she holds your hand and guides you into the pool using the steps in the shallow end.