The case for a winter walk

Fresh air is still energizing, even if the weather isn't great

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning.
This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's
tip is about convincing yourself to get outside for a bit,
even if the weather is lousy. Going for a winter

(00:25):
walk might not be as pleasant as a summer stroll,
but it can be an energizing part of your day
if you plan ahead a little bit. So one of
my favorite ways to take a break is to go
walk around my neighborhood in the woods near my house.
I love to see how the landscape changes with the seasons.

(00:46):
Fresh air and sunshine can feel wonderful. Of course, during
many months of the year the sun doesn't seem to
be warming much of anything. We've had snow a big
chunk of the winter already, and the week I recorded this,
my weather app was warning about loaves of ten, five, eight,

(01:08):
and seven degrees fahrenheit for a few days in a row.
Then we would hit a balmy low of fifteen for
a few days. Lucky us anyway. Winter can be rough,
but fresh air is still invigorating. Physical activity still boosts
people's mood and energy. That doesn't change just because it

(01:31):
is winter, and since the sun tends to set early
in winter, getting outside during the day becomes even more important,
So consider this episode to be a commercial for taking
a winter walk. If you are working at home, just
choose a spot on your schedule when you will need

(01:52):
a break and bundle up, coat, boots, hat, gloves, et cetera.
If you're only going outside for ten minutes or so,
you will survive even if it is frigid. If you
are at work, this might be a little more complicated,
but let me just say that perhaps winter is not
the right season for strappy heels and dresses. On a

(02:14):
cold day, when you are wearing pants and maybe boots
or something like that, just make sure you have got
your coat and put a hat and a pair of
gloves in your bag or store them in your desk drawer.
Bundle up, go outside and see what you see, because
winter can still be beautiful. It is perhaps a harsher

(02:39):
and more demanding beauty than a June rose garden, but
it is beautiful. Nonetheless. I enjoy seeing snow on the
bare branches and how the winter sky looks, especially as
the sun is setting in the afternoon. You might look
for ice patches on any water or how the green
moss looks against a backdrop of everything else being gray

(03:02):
and brown. And of course winter doesn't last forever, so
as it starts turning into spring, you will see the
first evidence of the world coming back to life. You
will probably return to your desk feeling more energetic, even
if you were tired before. The cold air might be
bracing enough to wake you up without you resorting to

(03:25):
more coffee and doughnuts. Even if you don't manage to
make it to the gym, you'll get a few steps in.
Maybe you'll solve a problem you hadn't before. I know
that walks always give me ideas, so go take one,
even if the weather isn't great. You will probably feel

(03:46):
better afterwards. But if not, you've only wasted a few minutes.
It's hard to see the downside in the meantime. This
is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's to making the
most of our time. Thanks for listening to Before Breakfast.

(04:12):
If you've got questions, ideas, or feedback, you can reach
me at Laura at Laura vandercam dot com. Before Breakfast
is a production of iHeartMedia. For more podcasts from iHeartMedia,
please visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you

(04:34):
listen to your favorite shows.