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Spending time outside can feel much easier during warm, bright days than during winter.
Cold temperatures, darkness, rain, snow and icy surfaces can all make an outdoor break require more preparation. You may also reach the end of the day before realising that the limited daylight has already disappeared.
A winter outdoor routine does not need to look the same as your summer routine. Shorter breaks, suitable clothing and a simple option close to home can help you continue without ignoring difficult or unsafe conditions.
This guide will help you adapt your daily outdoor goal for colder and darker months.
Why can getting outside feel more difficult in winter?
Winter adds several practical steps between deciding to go outside and actually leaving home.
You may need to:
- check the temperature and weather
- find suitable layers and footwear
- allow time to get dressed
- choose a route that is not icy
- fit outdoor time into shorter daylight hours
- change your plan when conditions become unsafe
When the outdoor break is vague, these extra steps can make staying inside the easier choice.
A winter plan should answer three questions in advance:
- When will I go outside?
- What will I wear?
- What is my simplest winter activity?
Choose a realistic winter outdoor goal
Your outdoor goal should fit the conditions you normally experience during winter.
If you selected 30 minutes during summer but repeatedly avoid it during cold or dark months, consider whether the target still fits your routine.
You could choose 5, 10, 15, 20 or another number of minutes that feels manageable on an ordinary winter day.
Do not change the number every day according to how you feel. Choose one realistic winter goal and use it consistently. If necessary, you can select a different target for a future challenge when the season changes.
Use How Much Time Should You Spend Outside Each Day? to choose an appropriate starting point.
Use the available daylight
During winter, waiting until you have finished everything else may mean that your outdoor time always happens after dark.
Check when daylight is available in your location and look for a realistic opening in your schedule.
You could go outside:
- after breakfast
- before beginning work
- during your lunch break
- between afternoon tasks
- before preparing dinner
Outdoor time after dark still counts. However, if daylight is one of your reasons for building the routine, plan at least some of your outdoor minutes earlier when possible.
Compare different schedules in Morning, Lunch or Evening: When Is the Best Time to Go Outside?.
Divide your goal into shorter breaks
You do not need to complete all your outdoor minutes at once.
A 20-minute winter goal could include two 10-minute breaks or four 5-minute breaks. This may be more comfortable than remaining outside for one longer period during cold or wet weather.
For example:
- 5 minutes outside after breakfast
- 10 minutes during lunch
- 5 minutes after work
Several breaks create several actions to remember, so use this approach only if it makes the goal easier. One predictable outdoor period may be simpler for some routines.
Prepare your clothing before you need it
Looking for gloves, suitable footwear or a missing layer can become enough of a delay to cancel a short outdoor break.
Keep your winter items together and easy to reach.
Depending on your weather and activity, you may need:
- several comfortable layers
- a wind-resistant or waterproof outer layer
- a hat and gloves
- warm socks
- footwear suitable for wet, snowy or icy surfaces
- reflective clothing or a light during darkness
The correct clothing depends on your local conditions, activity and personal needs. Check the forecast and dress for the conditions rather than relying only on how the weather looks through a window.
Replace wet clothing after returning indoors. Wetness and wind can make cold conditions more difficult to tolerate.
Keep your winter activity simple
A winter outdoor break does not need to involve a special trip or demanding activity.
You could:
- walk around one block
- take a warm drink outside briefly
- visit a nearby bench or sheltered space
- walk while making a personal phone call
- photograph signs of the season
- complete a nearby errand on foot
- clear or check your entrance when safe
- watch the changing sky
- visit an outdoor market
- walk with a friend
Choose an activity close to home so that travel and preparation do not take longer than the outdoor break itself.
Find additional inspiration in 25 Easy Ways to Spend More Time Outside.
Create a default winter route
Choose one familiar route that you can use without planning.
The route might go around your building, along a cleared pavement or to a nearby landmark and back.
A default route removes decisions about direction and distance. It also helps you estimate how long the outdoor activity will take.
Check the route as conditions change. Snow, ice, poor visibility, flooding or fallen branches may make a normally familiar route unsuitable.
Use everyday errands as outdoor time
Outdoor time can be included in something you already need to do.
You might:
- walk to collect the post
- complete a nearby errand on foot
- walk part of your journey
- park closer to a cleared walkway rather than the nearest entrance
- remain outside for a few extra minutes after arriving home
Only use an option when the route, visibility and surface conditions make it safe and practical.
Take part of an indoor activity outside
If you do not want to walk, move a familiar activity outdoors for a short period.
You could take a warm drink outside, listen to an audiobook, make a phone call or sit in a sheltered outdoor space.
Stationary activities may feel colder than walking because you are producing less body heat. Keep them shorter when needed and dress for the activity rather than assuming that sitting will feel the same as moving.
See Outdoor Activities That Do Not Feel Like Exercise for more low-pressure ideas.
Does sitting outside still count in winter?
Yes, if your challenge is based on minutes spent outdoors rather than exercise.
A balcony, porch, front step or sheltered bench can provide an alternative when you do not want to walk.
However, sitting still can become uncomfortable quickly in cold conditions. Choose a suitable place, dress warmly and return indoors if you become uncomfortably cold, wet or numb.
Read Does Sitting Outside Count? Easy Ways to Get Outdoors Without Exercising for a complete explanation.
Make outdoor time part of your workday
If you work indoors, your lunch break may offer one of the few opportunities to go outside during daylight.
Prepare your outdoor clothing before work and decide what time the break will begin. You could walk for a few minutes, take a drink outside or complete a nearby errand.
If you work from home, use a short walk as a pretend commute before work or as a transition after closing your computer.
Read How to Get Outside More When You Work From Home for a complete remote-working plan.
Create a visible winter reminder
Short daylight hours can make it especially easy to postpone outdoor time until the day is nearly over.
Use a reminder that appears before your planned outdoor break.
You could:
- place your winter clothing near the door
- keep your printable tracker beside your work area
- add the break to your calendar
- prepare your shoes before lunch
- check the forecast at the same time each morning
Make the reminder specific. “10-minute walk at lunch” is more useful than “Go outside today.”
Find more strategies in How to Remember to Get Outside During a Busy Day.
Ask someone to join you
An agreed time with another person can make a winter outdoor plan easier to remember.
You could arrange a lunchtime walk with a colleague, an evening walk with a neighbour or an outdoor coffee with a friend.
Choose a route and duration that suit everyone involved. Keep a personal alternative available in case the shared plan is cancelled.
Create a poor-weather alternative
Winter conditions can change quickly. Prepare an alternative before the weather interrupts your normal activity.
Your alternative might be:
- a shorter route near home
- several brief outdoor periods
- a sheltered balcony, porch or entrance
- moving the activity to an earlier or later time
- using a cleared and gritted public route
A poor-weather plan is not a reason to ignore official warnings. Extreme cold, severe storms, dangerous ice or poor visibility may make postponing outdoor time the safer choice.
Know when not to complete the challenge outside
A printable challenge should never take priority over your safety.
Check local forecasts and weather warnings. Consider temperature, wind chill, precipitation, visibility and surface conditions rather than looking only at the air temperature.
During extreme cold:
- limit your time outdoors
- wear suitable layers
- cover exposed skin
- stay dry and seek shelter from strong wind
- return indoors if you become numb, unusually tired or confused
Use footwear with appropriate grip and prefer cleared or treated routes when snow and ice increase the risk of falling.
If local authorities advise people to remain indoors, leave the circle incomplete and continue when conditions are safe. Missing one day is better than taking an unnecessary risk.
Focus on regularity rather than perfect conditions
If you wait for a warm, dry and bright winter day, outdoor time may remain irregular.
Prepare for ordinary winter conditions while remaining flexible when conditions become unsafe.
The aim is not to enjoy every type of weather equally. It is to make leaving home simple enough that normal cold, darkness or light rain does not automatically end the routine.
Use How to Build a Daily Outdoor Habit That Fits Your Routine to connect your winter activity to a reliable part of the day.
Track your winter outdoor routine
Choose a daily minute goal that fits your winter schedule and conditions.
The 30 Day Get Outside Path allows you to write down your chosen goal and complete one circle each day you reach it.
Your daily action is:
Spend your chosen number of minutes outside and complete one circle when you reach your daily goal.
Keep the tracker near your winter clothing, planner or workspace so that it also serves as a reminder.
For the complete challenge instructions, read How to Spend More Time Outside: A Simple 30 Day Challenge.
Start with one manageable winter break
Choose your minutes, identify the best available time and prepare your clothing before the break begins.
Use a familiar route or simple activity close to home. Create an alternative for poor weather and check local conditions before going outside.
Regular outdoor time can provide opportunities for daylight, movement and a change from indoor routines. Learn more in What Are the Benefits of Spending Time Outside Regularly?.
Begin your 30 Day Get Outside Path and build your winter routine one safe outdoor break at a time.
Explore the complete Get Outside printable collection for more outdoor challenges and trackers.
Sources and further reading
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