I came back from Greece about a month ago and I'm still adjusting back to my new schedule and my healthy non-restaurant meals. Yesterday, for some reason, I was feeling really "off" -- mentally and physically. I felt neither motivated nor energetic. It was rough because I had some writing deadlines and also had to go speed walking for my semi-weekly half-marathon. I went to the local Farmer's Market -- always a good source of inspiration. Afterwards, I sat down at my computer and mustered the willpower to get my work done, which was satisfying.

As I was leaving to go on my walk, strangely, I was craving greasy Mexican food. Instead, I had some nuts and fruit and pressed on to go on my walk. I wasn't able to walk as fast as I usually do, and the walk felt a little arduous. But I did it, and felt great afterward. The best part is that halfway through the walk I began feeling hungry again. But my cravings for greasy restaurant food had been replaced by an extraordinary desire to have a giant raw vegetable salad with beans, sprouted seeds and avocado. Yum!

The moral of this long-winded story is that, no matter how "off" you might be feeling, exercise is the solution to get your body back on track, fine-tune your metabolism and generally optimize all your organs, systems and even uplift your spirit. So next time you don't feel up to doing something or are having horrible cravings, take a hike -- or a walk! It just might set everything right again.