3 Ways To Keep Up With Walking In The Winter (And Even Enjoy It)

It's much easier to get outside and walk on days when the sun bathes your verdant surroundings in a golden light until 9 p.m. Getting your steps in on a gray evening with a biting wind chill and slushy sidewalks? That's usually a lot more difficult.

Swedish-American author Linda Åkeson McGurk doesn't let the short and dark days of Swedish winter prevent her from getting outside. It would be against her life philosophy.

McGurk follows the Nordic concept friluftsliv, pronounced FREE-loofts-leeve, a way of living that involves embracing nature—no matter the season or weather.

Friluftsliv is not hiking up a mountain for clout. It's walking around your local park, noticing the bird sounds and the swaying of dried leaves left on barren trees. It's listening to the crunch of snow beneath your boot and finding pleasure in the sharp, chilly air. It's a way of incorporating nature into your everyday life.

McGurk is an expert on friluftsliv after writing her book, The Open-Air Life: Discover the Nordic Art of Friluftsliv and Embrace Nature Every Day—and she credits the philosophy as one of the reasons Nordic people are routinely named some of the world's happiest.

We know walking is really, really good for us—and this doesn't change once temperatures drop.

"If there were a pill that could reduce your risk of heart disease, diabetes, obesity, stress levels, and your risk of getting anxiety and depression, and this pill was entirely free, I'm pretty sure most people would take this pill," McGurk says. "Those are all the effects that you can get from just walking outside every day."

She notes that you don't need to go on long, strenuous hikes in order to reap these benefits either. The ideal amount we should walk every day is debatable, but a 30-minute walk most days is a good starting goal, and 7,000 to 8,000 steps (or about 4 miles) a day is a research-backed amount to walk for increased longevity.

Keeping up with walking during winter can be especially helpful for those who suffer from seasonal affective disorder (SAD), notes psychiatrist Norman Rosenthal, M.D. According to his research, any little bit of exposure to daylight will be beneficial in staving off feelings of seasonal depression.

Moral of the story: It's time to give winter walking a try. Viewed through a more charitable lens, the gloomy gray light becomes soft and the slushy sidewalks become charmingly squishy.

The Scandinavians have another applicable expression: "There's no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes." Being outside in cold temperatures, snow, and ice is much more fun and comfortable (not to mention safer) when you're wearing the right clothing.