From the frost-covered city streets to the snow-capped mountain peaks, there’s no better time to wrap up warm, lace up your boots, throw a water-resistant pack on your back and embrace this freezing season with ardor and energy. After all, that biting cold may be exactly what you need to shock your system, calm your mind and create some epic stories this winter.
Reason 1: Embrace Mental Clarity
Life is hectic. It’s busy, bustling, fast-paced, hectic and spread a little thin as you try to do this, that and everything in between. The answer: take a moment to escape the noise and find a few moments of serenity by stepping into the outdoors. Wander about the woodlands nearby, explore the postcard-perfect parks in your city, switch up your running route or just slide a thermos flask into your bottle pocket and step out for some stargazing. Whichever way you head, spending time in the cold, surrounded by nature has been proven to both reduce stress levels and minimise your risk of developing mental health issues. So do it. Take your activities outside and start being a little kinder to both your body and mind.
Reason 2: Break That Boredom
With the days shorter and the nights longer, it’s all too easy to get trapped in a cycle. Commute, work, gym, home, repeat. But embracing the elements opens up a myriad of possibilities that will break this boredom wide open. All you need to do is switch up your attitude toward the cold, throw some extra layers in your waterproof Roll Top and go in search of unexplored places. Wander the streets of a new borough, search for epic destinations on TikTok, make a plan with your friends or create a list of places you’ve overheard people talking about on your commute. Do that and you’ll quickly add a sense of adventure to your everyday life.
Reason 3: Explore The Outdoors
When the daylight hours have shrunk and the temperature has dropped, it can be hard to maintain the same level of outdoor enthusiasm. But one thing remains the same: it’s a mindset. The way we see it, the issue isn’t that it’s cold outside, the issue is that you think it shouldn’t be. But whether it’s bright and sunny or closed in and drippy, gearing up and embracing mother nature in all her power is what adventures are all about. Windswept beaches, frozen lakes, frosty fields, snow-capped peaks, wintery forests, starry skies; now is the ultimate time to break out the rain coat, pull on the boots and throw your waterproof pack on your back as you explore the outdoors.
Reason 4: Boost Your Performance
Pushing yourself to perform in the harsh conditions of winter has a very similar effect to training in an altitude chamber; it demands your body to adapt and acclimatise. Whether you’re taking on the trails, wild swimming in a wetsuit or hiking up mountain peaks, the cold air will put new pressures on your body, making breathing more difficult and your muscles have to work harder, all of which forces you to optimise what oxygen you can. That may sound harsh and gloomy, but it will actually make you more adept at adapting to harsh conditions. Conquering the cold is a surefire way to boost performance, and improve your mental resilience to the point where you’ll be running up snow-capped mountains in nothing but shorts and a vest, Wim Hof style.
Reason 5: Expand Your Adventures
The moment winter rolls in, your adventure playground shifts, opening up a whole plethora of places you wouldn’t think to explore in the heights of summer, so make the most of the opportunities. Create adventures, make more stories, chase the horizon in a direction you’ve never headed before. Snowshoe through the Scottish wilderness, bathe in closer-than-you-think, hot spring, head off-grid for an epic stay, take to the mountains for the fresh alpine air, see the frost glisten across the world below you as you explore the Peak District or any one of these unusual adventures to keep you active over the winter. With every winter comes a whole new world to uncover.
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