I have the simplest way to get out of any kind of rut. . . whether a fitness rut, feeling stuck in your everyday routine, stuck in your head rut, or some other kind of yuck that has you in the mud. It’s so simple, inexpensive and available to almost anyone.

You likely guessed it.

Take a walk. Honestly, that’s all it takes.

I’m speaking from experience. It has been seven weeks since I’ve been able to take a good walk. And not to be dramatic, but it was slowly taking me down.

I’ve just finished four weeks on crutches, one week plus a few days on one crut.ch, and another week taking tentative baby steps around for a few minutes at a time. Slowly, I began with a walk to the mailbox, then a few steps past the mailbox to my neighbor’s, and then worked my way up to a whole 10-minute walk.. This week I have made the turn and can actually walk 20 - 40 minutes before I make myself slow my roll.

And it has been one of the biggest boosts for my mood, my mind, my body, and my joy.

Earlier this week, I took my poor under exercised dog on an early morning walk, just because I could, before my workday began. Not only was my sweet pup thrilled, but I could honestly feel my entire being become lighter and more in tuned to all of my surroundings. I noticed the raindrops on the leaves, the fresh green grass, the gardenias blooming and all of the tiny miracles around that I had missed.

It was a such a simple thing - but also glorious.

Let me emphasize that this was not a walk for fitness or to burn calories or to “get my steps in”, although my apple watch would love to see some numbers again, I’m sure!

This was simply because I could and it felt good. And, honestly, it set the tone for the day and did a lot to lift me from the rut I’ve been in lately.

Have you seen this image? I love it. It show the difference in the brain of a person who has taken a 20 minute walk versus sitting for 20 minutes.

It’s really pretty remarkable. The brain on the right looks so alive and vibrant which is the way we should want to look and feel.

One of my sons sometimes calls me around lunchtime. He calls after he has eaten lunch and is walking around a park area near his office. We catch up while he walks. Isn’t htat a much better way to enjoy a lunch break? Maybe now when he calls, I can actually follow his lead and walk during my lunch break and talk with him.

I’ve realized that another part of my “no walking” rut has been missing my walking friends. I have missed seeing some of my friends during my recovery because I haven’t been able to walk, and that is how we typically met to connect and catch up. Texting and calls are great, don’t get me wrong, but it just doesn’t compare with actually being with someone, connecting and maybe even breaking a little sweat while we cover some ground.

A bit ago, there was audio making its rounds on social media about walking, I even created a reel using it, the basic message went something like this. . .

Maybe not every problem in your life can be solved by going for a walk, but almost no problem can be made worse by going for a walk.

I can tell you this for sure, being able to slip on some walking shoes, step out the front door and do something as simple as this has brought

Cheers to taking a simple little walk and doing the easy, inexpensive, habits and rituals because we can and because it gets us out of a rut.