Why Getting Outside in Winter Matters More Than We Think

Winter can be a beautiful season, but for many people it is also one of the hardest. When winter rolls in, it’s easy to slow down and tempting to retreat indoors. Shorter days, colder temperature, and grey skies can make hibernating on the sofa feel like the natural choice. But winter is actually one of the most important times to get outside, breathe in fresh air, and keep our bodies moving.

Wrapping up warm and stepping outside – even for a short walk – can have a powerful impact on both our physical and mental wellbeing. Nature doesn’t stop healing just because the seasons change.

Fresh Air, Nature, and Physical Wellbeing

Spending time outdoors supports our physical health in ways we often underestimate. 

It helps us reconnect with the natural world, which has a calming and grounding effect on the mind. Winter landscapes have their own quiet beauty: crisp air, frosted paths, and peaceful open spaces that invite reflection and stillness.

Fresh air improves oxygen flow to the brain, helping us feel more alert and energised, while natural light supports healthy sleep patterns and hormone balance. Nature gives us space to breathe – literally and emotionally.

Walking, in particular, is one of the simplest, most accessible forms of exercise, yet its benefits are enormous:

Best of all, walking doesn’t require special equipment or training – just comfortable shoes and a willingness to step outside.

A simple walk – even a short one – can make a meaningful difference to our overall health, especially during the winter months.

Mental Health, Loneliness, and Winter Isolation

Walking in winter isn’t about fitness alone. It’s about wellbeing, connection, and reminding ourselves and others that we are not alone.

While winter can be peaceful, it can also be isolating. Loneliness, depression, and anxiety affect millions of people, and these feelings often intensify during winter. Reduced daylight and fewer opportunities to socialise can increase feelings of isolation, especially for those already facing challenges.

Certain groups – like those Embrace support – may feel this even more deeply and feel unseen at this time of year:

These struggles are far more common than we realise – and they affect people from all walks of life. No one should have to face them alone.

Walking is one of the simplest and most powerful tools we have to support mental health and emotional wellbeing. Regular walking:

Walking, Daylight, and Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)

For many people, winter brings more than just cold weather. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) affects thousands each year, often triggered by reduced daylight and less time spent outdoors. Symptoms can include low mood, fatigue, lack of motivation, and feelings of isolation.

Walking outside, especially during daylight hours, is one of the most effective natural ways to combat SAD. Exposure to natural light helps regulate our internal body clock and can increase serotonin levels – a key hormone linked to mood and wellbeing – while gentle movement releases endorphins that lift mood and reduce anxiety.

Movement combined with fresh air and daylight creates a powerful antidote to winter blues. Even a gentle walk can make a noticeable difference.


Spiritual Reflection Through Allah’s Creation

For many of us, stepping outdoors offers more than fresh air – it becomes an opportunity for tafakkur, deep reflection on Allah’s creation. The changing seasons remind us of His wisdom, power, and mercy. Winter, in its quiet and stillness, teaches patience and trust – a reminder that even when life appears dormant, beneath the cold and stillness, renewal is already written.

Allah draws our attention to this reflection in the Qur’an and the virtue of those who engage in it:

“Surely in the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the alternation of the night and the day are signs for people of understanding – those who remember Allah while standing, sitting, or reclining, and reflect on the creation of the heavens and the earth, (saying): ‘Our Lord, You have not created this in vain. Glory be to You; save us from the punishment of the Fire.’”  (Qur’an 3:190–191)

Engaging in tafakkur is an act of worship, rewarded by Allah. Taking time to reflect on His creation softens the heart, nurtures gratitude, and brings reassurance during moments of hardship. With the correct intention, a walk, even in winter, can become a form of dhikr – a means of drawing closer to Allah while caring for both body and mind.

Walking Together: Sisterhood, Brotherhood, and Belonging

When we walk together, the benefits extend far beyond physical health. Shared walks create opportunities for connection, compassion, and community.

Coming together in a walk builds more than physical strength — it builds sisterhood and brotherhood.

When we walk side by side, we are reminded that:

A shared walk can open doors to connection, compassion, and understanding. It helps break down isolation and replaces it with belonging and unity.

Our Winter Walk: No Family Faces Winter Alone

This is the heart of our first Winter Walk, taking place in London tomorrow..

Walking in winter offers space for reflection – on our own wellbeing, and on the reality that for many, winter brings far more than cold. Across the UK, families are facing impossible choices between heating and eating, warmth and survival:

These are not distant statistics. They represent real families living within our communities –  our neighbours, and our brothers and sisters in faith.

Through Embrace, the Winter Walk turns reflection into action. Each step helps provide warm clothing, bedding, and support with energy costs for families still waiting for help during the coldest months of the year.

By taking part, you are:

Every step becomes both an act of remembrance and a gesture of care – helping transform cold nights into warmth, and isolation into reassurance.

Take the First Step

This winter, choose movement over hibernation. Choose fresh air over four walls. Choose connection over isolation.

Let’s choose to step outside – not just for our health and our hearts, but for one another.

Whether you’re walking to clear your mind, to connect with others, or to honour your journey through grief, healing, or hardship, every step matters.

Wrap up warm, step outside, and walk with purpose – for your health, your spiritual and mental wellbeing, and for the families who need to know they’re not alone.

Together, we can make winter a season of support, strength, and solidarity.

Sign up for Walking Through History, Embrace’s first winter walk, taking place Sunday 1st February now.