Walking in a winter wonderland really can improve those post-Christmas blues, study claims

After turkey, pigs in blankets, pudding, mince pies and wine, it is easy to feel bad about yourself on Christmas Day after such a vast caloric intake.

But now scientists have found that taking a walk outdoors in the snow and frost makes you feel a bit better in your own skin, with natural “white spaces” improving one’s body image.

Polish researchers recruited 87 women and asked them to go on a walk in small groups for about 40 minutes in a woodland that was covered in snow last winter.

A questionnaire filled in before and after the chilly stroll gauged how the participants were feeling about themselves.

The questions were focused on unpicking how a person felt about their body image and they answered questions on a scale of one to five, with one being “strongly disagree” to a question, and five being “strongly agree”.

Post-walk scores averaged out to be 3.9 on this scale while before the walk it was 3.61, indicating “significantly higher” levels of self-appreciation.

The researchers from the Medical University of Silesia and the Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) claim that this is the first time nature has been shown to be good for mental health when it is snowy outside.

Green and blue and white

Previous studies have shown green and blue spaces are beneficial, but no studies have been winter-specific.

“It is possible to explain these findings by drawing on attention restoration theory, which suggests that natural environments have the capacity to restore depleted psychological resources,” the authors write in their study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.

“Previous studies have focused on the impact of blue and green natural environments on body image outcomes, ours is the first to suggest that white natural environments may also have a similar effect.

“The present findings highlight the importance of ensuring that populations have access to restorative natural environments, which may be a cost-effective means of promoting healthier body image.

Lead author Dr Kamila Czepczor-Bernat, of the Medical University of Silesia, said: “A body of evidence now exists showing that nature exposure – living close to, frequenting, or engaging with environments such as forests and parks – is associated with a range of physical and psychological wellbeing benefits.

“However, in contrast to previous studies which have focused on the impact of blue and green natural environments on body image outcomes, ours is the first to show the positive impact on body appreciation from spending time in snow-covered environments.”

Senior author Viren Swami, Professor of Social Psychology at Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), added: “Natural environments help to restrict negative appearance-related thoughts and shift attention away from an aesthetic view of the body and toward greater appreciation of the body’s functionality.

Positive body image

“Positive body image is important not only in its own right, but has other beneficial effects, including more positive psychological wellbeing.

“Our findings demonstrate the importance of ensuring that everyone can access restorative natural environments, which may be a cost-effective way of promoting healthier body image, and highlight that there are significant benefits of being outside in nature, whatever the weather.”

The last two years have technically been white Christmases in the UK, according to the Met Office. The official definition of a white Christmas is for one snowflake to be observed falling in the 24 hours of Dec 25 somewhere in the UK.

By that definition, 2021 and 2020 meet the standard, with six per cent of stations recording snow falling, but less than one per cent of stations reported any snow lying on the ground.

Before that 2020 was also a white Christmas, with 6 six per cent of weather stations recording snow falling, however, only 4 per cent of stations reported any snow lying on the ground.

But 2010 was the last time there was a widespread covering of snow on the ground on Christmas Day, with more than 40 per cent of weather stations recording snow on the ground by 9am.

The Met Office says it can forecast if it will be a white Christmas from Dec 20 onwards.