Shorter days and dropping temperatures can cause people’s moods to drop, calling for new ways to stay active, healthy, and happy during the winter. Even though the winter blues may seem like they will never end, staying physically active and exercising frequently during winter can improve physical and cognitive health, according to newyorkpresbyterian.org. In fact, outdoor exercise increases the rates of dopamine, serotonin, cardiovascular health, and flexibility. However, regardless of the season, exercise in the fresh air provides many benefits that individuals cannot get inside, according to nature.com.

Taking an energizing walk in the park, or elsewhere in nature, can not only increase concentration and fitness motivation but overall health and happiness, according to washingtonpost.com. Ms. Katherine Boere, a neuroscience doctoral candidate at the University of Victoria, led a neurological study of green exercise, which is any type of exercise in nature. After taking quick walks outside with colleagues, she noticed increased focus and productivity. Ms. Boere organized a group of 30 college students, tested their cognitive abilities, and had them walk for about fifteen minutes outside before testing them again. The results confirmed that any type of exercise in nature, even just a brief walk, improves concentration and calms the mind, according to washingtonpost.com. Ms. Boere discussed the effects she found in her experiment.
“On most measures, the outside walk easily trumped the indoor version,” Ms. Boere said, according to washingtonpost.com. “Students concentrated better and responded faster, results that accord with scientific ideas about how nature affects our minds. According to one widely held theory, the natural world encourages even the jumpiest among us to relax, slowing the onslaught of internal ruminations about every pressing concern, and letting our whirring brains quiet.”
Additionally, exercising outdoors boosts individual’s moods, and therefore, the likelihood that they will stay in a healthy routine, because of the increase of dopamine and endorphin levels from the serenity of being outside, according to The New York Times. Mr. Daniel Segui, Assistant Athletic Trainer, shared how he thinks cold weather exercise can improve mental health and reduce stress, all while improving the body’s physical endurance.

“Cold weather exercise is great,” Mr. Segui said. “I can’t stop bringing up mental health because I think it is so important for athletes to be aware of, but cold therapy is a proven stress reducer. I think many cold weather athletes have pride in their ability to conquer the cold, which is extremely empowering. Physiologically, we use cold therapy to treat muscle soreness and boost the body’s metabolism. It boosts your metabolism because our body needs to do double the work, and it is fighting the cold while also being put to the limit with training or exercise.”
While there are many effective ways to get exercise inside, such as yoga, pilates, or going to the gym, going outside and getting fresh air can provide a unique psychological benefit, according to ucdavis.edu. The sun increases vitamin D levels, which are vital for healthy bones, blood cells, and the immune system, an advantage that exercising indoors does not have. Dr. Leana Wen, a CNN wellness expert, emergency physician, and clinical associate professor at George Washington University, shared her advice on how to make exercising outdoors safe and fun, even during the winter time, according to CNN.
“Gradually increase the amount of time you are outside,” Dr. Wen said, according to CNN. “Stay close to home or to your vehicle so that you can get inside if it gets too uncomfortable. [Also] make sure to hydrate. People often associate the need for hydration with hot weather exercise. But it’s also important to keep hydrated when exercising in cold weather, especially because cold may even diminish the sensation of thirst so that your body doesn’t give you feedback that you need water. It’s always a good idea to hydrate before you exercise, and if you will be out for more than an hour, bring a bottle of water or electrolyte solution with you.”
Featured Image by Blaire Williamson ’27