Surprising Benefits of Walking in the Snow

Last Fall, I blogged about data showing the benefits of walking in the woods on your brain health.

Now here we are in the depths of Winter - and in Northern Michigan (where I am based) the ground is covered in snow.

❄️ Should I still go out for a walk if it’s snowy? ❄️

Yes!

It seems there are still potential brain health benefits even when walking in the snow.

Here’s a study that showed the unique benefit of walking in the snow:

87 women with an average age of 24 walked for 40 minutes in small groups through a snowy woodland area in Poland.

Before and after the walk, the women completed an evaluation about their body appreciation.

👉 The study found that the walk resulted in a more positive appreciation of body image in these young women.

Other studies have looked at the benefits of walking in green areas (like parks and forests) or blue areas (like near water), but this study was unique in being a white landscape.

It’s also pretty spectacular that the walk didn’t just improve general well-being but specifically improved body image.

Sounds like a good reason to get outside—no matter the weather!

Reference: Czepczor-Bernat K, Modrzejewska J, Modrzejewska A, Swami V. The Impact of a Woodland Walk on Body Image: A Field Experiment and an Assessment of Dispositional and Environmental Determinants. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022;19(21):14548.

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