You get home from work, and it’s been ‘one of those days’. You’re tired, your boss moved the goalposts on you again, the commute home was a bitch, it’s cold and wet and you are about ready to kick the cat, the dog and the goldfish*. To cap it all, your teenager is acting, well, like a teenager. Sound familiar?

There are many potential solutions to this tale of woe. A perennial favorite of mine has been the glass of wine, bag of chips, couch, TV approach. Lovely. Awesome. Pour me another glass and hand over the Cheetos while you’re at it. I have conducted a considerable amount of research into this type of mood enhancement over the years and I can tell you, it’s not without it’s appeal.

The trouble is of course that a) chips can make your belly wobble, and b) wine, whilst delicious (and nutritious in the appropriate quantities – at least that’s what the French say when they’re not on strike) can leave you both groggy and asleep on the above mentioned couch, especially since about the only decent thing on TV (yes, let’s hear it for Mad Men) has now finished.

So I’m recommending a different approach. Get off your arse and go for a run. Seriously. Go on. Put on your running shoes (I’m sure those fashion trainers you bought a while back will do for now), fire up the iPod and away you go. Cold and wet outside? Trust me, it’s better when it’s raining and you can see your breath. It’ll be ‘bracing’ and ‘good for the soul’. You will feel good about yourself. You will have burned a few calories, got your heart rate going and got your sweat on. Your significant other, your kids, and definitely your pets will thank you for it.

It really is THAT EASY.

For those of you non-runners who are maybe concerned that ‘someone might see you’, well it’s OK. If you live in the Northern Hemisphere you may have noticed that it’s basically winter, therefore dark early and late (no-one can see you) and in any case – no-one is watching (they’re on the couch, with the wine and chips).

Personally, this virtually never fails me. Just today even, I was most definitely Bobby Moody Pants coming home from work, no real reason, just was, and all it took was six easy miles and I’d ironed out the wrinkles in my day. It was cold, wet, dark and frankly brilliant. Some top tunes on the iPod and away I went. Happy as a pig in …..

In the unlikely event that this doesn’t work, you can always try chocolate.

*animal lovers, this is just a figure of speech, no animals were actually harmed in the making of this blog.