Winter Walks & Body Image

The New Year is a time for self-assessment, which often includes evaluating physical well-being.  Research shows that time spent in nature improves psychological well-being.  A new study examined the impact of a snowy walk on body image.

To study the effect of white spaces, and the influence of self-compassion, on body image, 87 Polish women (average age 24 years, average BMI 22.3) went for a winter walk in a snow-covered ancient woodland in small groups.  Before the walk, they completed surveys assessing self-compassion and body appreciation.  After the walk, their body appreciation was assessed again.

The body image scores were higher after the winter walk than before.  The trait of self-compassion was significantly associated with a greater shift in body appreciation. 

Researchers theorize the study results may be explained by three phenomena: the walk may have focused participants more on the power of the body than on body aesthetics; exposure to natural environments might restrict negative thoughts about body image; and/or that natural environments can restore depleted psychological resources.

Takeaway:  Exposure to winter wonderlands can improve body image, and they are likely to improve psychological well-being in the same way that green and blue spaces do.  People high in self-compassion can gain maximum benefit from exposure to nature.

Well-being is a journey, not a quick fix

Source

Kamila Czepczor-Bernat, et al., The Impact of a Woodland Walk on Body Image: A Field Experiment and an Assessment of Dispositional and Environmental Determinants, 19(21) International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 14548, Nov 5, 2022, IJERPH | Free Full-Text | The Impact of a Woodland Walk on Body Image: A Field Experiment and an Assessment of Dispositional and Environmental Determinants (mdpi.com).