Time in the mountains won’t cure any ailment, but it can do a lot. Here Alex Roddie shares some of his winter motivation tips for staying healthy and happy – especially during the darker months when it can feel more of a struggle to get that valuable time in nature.
1. Seek winter sunshine
As I write this, it’s late November. It’s cold. It’s raining. It barely gets light. You’ve got to seek the winter sunshine – and this becomes all the more important if you live far from the mountains. For most of my life, I’ve lived in flat places such as Lincolnshire. This has meant long journeys to get to the hills. How have I coped? By embracing the joys of local, flatland walking – and by becoming almost obsessive about getting out in the sunshine in winter.
Winter walks in the woods are important, but I find that seeking the special light of winter (which can be extraordinarily beautiful) is the key for me. It doesn’t matter if it won’t stop raining for more than ten minutes until April; that short burst of magic light can compensate for a lot.
Winter light can be magical. Credit: Alex Roddie
2. Go out hiking with friends
Some of the greatest experiences of my life have been when alone on a mountain. But I know what I’m like. As an introvert, my natural inclination is to head out alone on every trip, and – for me at least – that isn’t a recipe for happiness.
Like many people, the pandemic forced me to confront what I really wanted out of life. When things started opening up again I made a conscious decision to plan more social adventures. 2022 and 2023 have included countless trips with friends and family – without sacrificing the alone time I find so vital. It’s all about understanding the balance that works for you.
Mountain friendships can be the most precious and intense of our lives. We share more openly and honestly, we are better versions of ourselves, and we see our friends at their best too. Making time for other people in your mountain adventures will improve your life – I promise.
Go walking or camping with someone else. Credit: Alex Roddie
3. Use social media mindfully
Social media is great, but it can also have serious negative consequences especially when winter motivation is at a low. People present the most attractive, aesthetic versions of their lives on Instagram. It’s a very shiny tip of a very mundane iceberg. FOMO, doomscrolling, comparison with others; at its worst, social media can make you feel like everyone else is out there enjoying life while you’re stuck inside looking at the rain. Or, worse, you’re at work on a Wednesday and your next free weekend feels like it’ll be in 2026. Seriously though, social media can contribute to depression, anxiety, and other mental health problems.
I try to use social media mindfully, especially in autumn and winter when I know I can be more vulnerable to its negative effects. I’ll limit my exposure and take breaks. I’ll try to use it to communicate with the people I genuinely know and care about in the real world. And I’ll make sure that I’m chatting with them away from the bright lights of Instagram, too, because that’s where you’ll find out what they really feel, how they’re really doing, and if they could do with a bit of support in a tough spell they haven’t posted about.
If all else fails, plan a grand adventure. Credit: Alex Roddie
4. Make plans – and develop a new skill
We all go through cycles in our enthusiasm for the mountains. Sometimes the spark doesn’t seem to be there; sometimes we feel like we’re in a rut, going for the same walks; perhaps we’re just looking for something different. And then there are those long, dark winter nights when winter motivation lags and summer seems so far away.
The answer is simple: make plans. Get out your maps and guidebooks. Think about exploring somewhere new, maybe doing something more ambitious. Early winter is my favourite time for planning big trips for next year. It can really give me a lift that usually lasts until a bit more daylight starts to return.
And if that isn’t doing the trick? The outdoors is a many-splendoured thing. Book yourself on a winter skills course. Learn how to rock climb. Take up bikepacking. The possibilities are limitless, and they will expand your adventure horizons.
Better fitness will make you more a more efficient walker in difficult conditions. Credit: Alex Roddie
5. Keep fit – but give yourself a break
One of the best things I ever did was to begin a habit of walking five miles every weekday before breakfast. Every morning, five days a week, regardless of the weather or how I felt. In later years this evolved into other regular fitness habits, including running and an indoor exercise bike, but the important thing was starting to take fitness seriously away from the mountains.
It completely transformed both how I felt and how I was able to perform when I did get back into the hills. The benefits of regular exercise to mental health are tremendous, and a modest dose of cardio most days will rapidly improve your physical fitness too.
That said, exercise addiction is a very real thing that can have repercussions for both physical and mental health, so take breaks! It’s fine to take the day off if you need it, and perhaps we could all do with remembering that there’s more to life than the outdoors too. Sometimes stepping away for a bit can be all we need to re-fire the enthusiasm.
Read more: How to stay warm on the hills in winter
