I'm not in the mood.

It happens from time to time. I'm not in the mood to exercise. When it does occur, I try to uncover the cause. Am I coming down with something? Have the kids been sniffling, sneezing, or coughing? Was I out drinking and dancing all night and watching the sunrise at the beach with sailors again? None of the above. I may have just actually stayed up for Saturday Night Live.

I found myself wearily climbing Hurricane Road on my bike today, feeling like I was pumping through molasses. It was about 10:00 AM, but I was yawning. My hamstrings were tight and sore from yesterday's ride. Usually, I attack this five-mile hill with a vengeance. Today I was ready to surrender quietly. This is problem, because my husband bought me bike cleats that clamp into the pedals. If I lack the strength to keep pushing uphill, I fall sideways like a rotten tree, feet still strapped to the bike.

I am exercising for energy. But what if I don't have the energy to exercise? It's a tough predicament. I've learned a few things about my mind and body that help me deal with this challenge.

First, I get rid of the black-and-white thinking. Just because I don't feel like huffing and puffing up a mountain until my knees collapse under me the next morning when I get out of bed doesn't mean I get to spend the day on the couch listening to grown white men whispering about Tiger's swing. I need to do something, anything, enjoyable to fit my mood.

I have a number of exercise tapes that don't leave my muscles quivering--pilates, yoga, and hip hop dance routines. They offer a mild to moderate workout. But it keeps my exercise routine on schdule.

As soon as I miss a workout or two, my mind starts to play tricks on me. "You don't need to workout everyday. Listen to your body. You deserve a little break. You can always start over tommorrow." These thoughts aren't too bad if they were isolated to a single lazy Sunday afternoon, but after a few days or a week, they win out. Then I find myself in a real slump and my comeback seems impossible, overwhelming...kind of like the Republican Party.

I've learned that I must keep the rhymthm going. Do something. Anything. Just move. My body is like a dog that needs walking. Even if it is rainy, cold, or dark, it has be taken out or the consquences can be messy. I didn't make it the the top of Hurricane Road today. But I made it three-quarters of the way. And that is good enough for me. Now I wonder if there's any golf on...