How to Walk Consistently Even in Harsh British Weather

Quick Summary: Maintaining your winter walking habit in the UK doesn’t mean forcing yourself out in Storm Sheila’s worst. Indoor walking alternatives like YouTube walking videos, walking pads, and dancing keep your routine alive when it’s dark, wet, and miserable. The key to keeping a winter walking habit UK-style? Flexibility beats rigid rules and showing up matters more than where or how you walk.

You’ve done it. You’ve built a proper walking habit. You’re out there most days, feeling brilliant, sleeping better, clearing your head. You’ve become one of those people who actually enjoys a daily walk.

And then you remember: you live in the UK.

It’s November, and your winter walking habit UK-style is about to be tested. You leave for work in the dark and you come home in the dark. Exercise on dark evenings becomes a whole different challenge when your entire relationship with daylight happens through an office window (if you’re lucky) or not at all. And in between? Rain. Not the gentle, romantic kind from films. The proper stuff the kind that comes at you sideways, the kind that finds every gap in your supposedly waterproof jacket, the kind that makes you question every life choice that led you to this moment.

Your sofa is right there. Your blanket is calling. The remote is within reach. Netflix has new episodes of that thing you like. And suddenly, maintaining motivation for your walking habit feels impossible.

So what now?

Let’s Be Honest About Walking in British Rain

Sometimes it’s grim out there, and pretending otherwise is nonsense.

I actually quite like walking in the rain. Gentle drizzle? Light rain? Lovely. Fewer people about, everything’s quiet, there’s something almost meditative about it. I feel grateful for it, honestly there’s a peace to a rainy walk that a sunny one doesn’t have.

But even I draw a line.

When it’s absolutely hammering it down, when Storm Sheila’s arrived with her mates and they’ve decided to hold a convention directly above your house, when the rain’s coming at you horizontally and you can barely see three feet ahead that’s not character building. That’s just miserable.

“You’re not ‘going soft’ or ‘making excuses’ – you’re being a reasonable human being who doesn’t fancy pneumonia.”

And you know what? That’s fine. You’re allowed to have boundaries.

The Darkness Makes It Worse

Let’s add another layer of British joy: the dark.

If you’re heading to work early, you’re leaving in pitch black. If you’re doing normal office hours, you’re getting home in pitch black.

The idea of putting on all your gear, finding a head torch, and trudging out into the cold, wet darkness when your sofa is right there looking all cosy and inviting? I get it. I absolutely get it.

And if we’re being really honest? Sometimes it’s just scary.

My first walk in the forest after dark, I was gripping my husband’s hand so tight my knuckles went white. Every snap of a twig made my heart jump. Every rustle in the undergrowth probably just a hedgehog, definitely a serial killer in my head. The darkness felt thick, almost solid, pressing in from all sides. I couldn’t see the path properly. Just vague shapes of trees and the bounce of our head torches making everything look like a horror film.

“This is stupid,” I whispered. “Why are we doing this?”

“You said you wanted to walk every day,” he reminded me. Unhelpfully.

I did say that. And here I was, genuinely terrified of a Tuesday evening walk in a perfectly safe park, fighting the urge to turn around and sprint home. My brain was screaming that this was dangerous, that something terrible was about to happen, that normal people don’t do this.

But here’s the thing I went again. And it was still scary, but slightly less so. And I’ll probably go again. Not because I’ve suddenly become some fearless outdoor adventurer, but because I know the fear gets smaller each time, and my walking habit matters more than my pride.

Stay Safe

If you are heading out in the dark, do the basics high-vis jacket, head torch, something that makes you visible. I’ve got both and they make a massive difference to feeling safer. Also make sure someone knows where you are going. But if you’re just genuinely not feeling it tonight? That’s what the indoor options are for.

Pause & Reflect: What’s actually stopping you from walking today? genuine safety concerns, or the voice in your head that says it’s “not worth it” if conditions aren’t perfect? There’s a difference, and knowing which one you’re dealing with matters.

Indoor Walking Alternatives for Your Winter Walking Habit

Keeping this going through British autumn and winter isn’t about forcing yourself to be miserable. It’s about having a plan B. And a plan C.

Walking YouTube Videos

Sounds daft until you try it. Stick one on there are thousands of walking YouTube videos, from city walks to countryside rambles to beach strolls and walk on the spot or pace around your living room.

I use Get Fit with Rick – he does walk-dance videos to music that are brilliant for beginners. Really easy to follow, genuinely fun, and the steps add up fast.

Is it the same as being outside? No. Does it keep the habit alive? Absolutely. And if you’re just starting out with building a walking routine, even 5-10 minutes of this counts.

Walking Pad + TV

If you’ve got one, brilliant. If you don’t, walking pads for rainy days are genuinely useful for exactly this scenario. Stick on something you actually want to watch and walk while you do it.

This isn’t “cheating” or somehow less legitimate than outdoor walking. Your body doesn’t care whether you’re doing it on a walking pad or a pavement – the benefits are the same.

Phone Calls = House Laps

Need to call someone? Ring them up and walk around your house while you talk. You’d be amazed how many steps you rack up during a 20-minute phone conversation.

Bonus: the person on the other end gets the more energetic version of you because you’re moving, not slumped on the sofa.

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Pause & Reflect: Which of these alternatives actually sounds appealing to you? Not “which one should I do” which one makes you think “yeah, I could actually see myself doing that”? Start there.

Dancing

Sometimes the answer is to stop pretending you want to “walk” at all and just put on your favourite music and dance around your house like a lunatic.

“Your body doesn’t care whether you’re walking on a treadmill or dancing in your kitchen movement is movement.”

Same outcome you’re moving, you’re getting your heart rate up and you’re staying active. Different method. Who cares?

Walking Buddy

If you’ve got a walking buddy, friend, partner or dog who demands walkies regardless of weather lean on that. Sometimes the accountability of someone else expecting you makes all the difference. Plus, if you’re scared of the dark, having company makes it infinitely less terrifying.

Make the “After” Worth the “During”

If you do brave the dark and cold, give yourself something cozy to come back to hot chocolate waiting, candles lit, your favorite show queued up. Sometimes that’s all the motivation you need to get out the door.

Getting 10,000 Steps When It’s Raining (Or Not)

My daily walking goal is 10,000 steps. Most days I hit it. Some days I don’t.

And here’s the thing: I’m not too hard on myself when I don’t hit it.

Being flexible about the numbers is what keeps me consistent with the habit.

If I made hitting 10K non-negotiable every single day regardless of weather, darkness, how I’m feeling, or what else is happening, I’d either make myself miserable and eventually resent the whole thing, or miss it one day, feel like I’d “failed,” and use that as an excuse to give up entirely.

Neither of those outcomes helps me. But if my focus is on doing something every day even if it’s just 15 minutes pacing around with a YouTube video or dancing to three songs the habit keeps going. And a habit that’s still going is one you can build on.

Pause & Reflect: What small ritual could you create that makes coming home from a walk feel genuinely rewarding? Not as punishment for skipping but as incentive for going.

Building a Flexible Walking Routine That Lasts

Here’s what people get wrong about habits: they think consistency means doing the exact same thing, the exact same way, every single day without variation.

It doesn’t.

A flexible walking routine means showing up for the habit in whatever form makes sense today. Sometimes that’s a proper 10K outdoor walk in the sunshine. Sometimes that’s 3,000 steps pacing around your living room to a walking video while it absolutely buckets down outside. Both count.

There’s actually science behind why walking any walking is so beneficial. Neuroscientist Andrew Huberman explains that when you walk, you create what’s called “optic flow” the world moving past your eyes as you move forward. This has a remarkable calming effect on your brain, reducing anxiety and stress.

Here’s what nobody tells you though: your brain doesn’t actually care if that optic flow comes from real trees or a YouTube video of someone walking through Tokyo. The calming effect works either way. We’ve created this hierarchy where outdoor walking is “proper” and indoor alternatives are “less than” but your nervous system doesn’t have that bias. It just responds to movement and visual flow.

So when someone tells you indoor walking “doesn’t count,” they’re wrong. It counts. The location is just details.

Pause & Reflect: Think about the last time you forced yourself to do something that made you genuinely miserable in the name of “consistency.” How long did you keep it up? Now think about habits you’ve maintained for years chances are, you found ways to make them work for you, not against you.

3 Everyday Mastery Steps You Can Take Today

Step 1: Pick Your Bad-Weather Backup (2 minutes)

Right now, before the next rainy day hits, choose ONE indoor alternative from this post that actually sounds doable. Write it down. Stick it on your fridge. When Storm Sheila arrives, you’ll have a plan instead of a decision to make.

Step 2: Do a 5-Minute Test Run (5 minutes)

Try your chosen alternative once this week. Just 5 minutes. See how it actually feels versus how you think it’ll feel. Most people are surprised it’s usually less ridiculous and more effective than expected.

Step 3: Lower Your Floor (1 minute)

Decide right now what your absolute minimum is on the worst days. Not your goal, your floor. Mine’s “move for 10 minutes in any form.” Yours might be different. Having a floor means you never have a zero day.

Mr Critic Moment:

You know what? It’s absolutely hammering it down out here. Just skip it today. Look at that rain! You’ll get soaked, you’ll be miserable, and for what? Ten minutes of walking around your living room like a muppet? Come on. Stay in the warm. We’ll do it tomorrow when the weather’s better. Or next week. The sofa’s right there. You’ve earned a rest.”

Yeah, and next week it’ll be too cold. And the week after that, too dark. And before you know it, it’s March and you’ve not walked since October.

Here’s what Mr. Critic doesn’t mention: that voice gets louder every time you listen to it. But it gets quieter every time you don’t.

You don’t need perfect weather and you don’t need to want to do it. You just need to put on a YouTube video and pace your living room for 10 minutes. That’s it. That’s the whole ask.

“Your winter walking habit UK doesn’t need perfect conditions to be real it just needs to happen.”

The people who insist on rigid adherence to one specific version of their habit are the ones who quit when life makes that version impossible. And in the UK between October and March, life will make it impossible. Often.

The people who stay consistent long-term are the ones who’ve learned to be flexible about the how while staying committed to the what.

The Bottom Line

Your walking habit doesn’t need to look the same every day to be real. It doesn’t need to meet some arbitrary standard of difficulty or discomfort to “count.”

It just needs to happen.

“The win isn’t walking outside every single day no matter what. The win is still being someone who moves daily six months from now.”

When it’s dark and wet and grim and your sofa is begging you to stay, you’ve got options. Use them. There’s no nobility in making yourself miserable, and there’s no shame in staying indoors when the weather’s taking the absolute michael.

The real winter exercise motivation isn’t about forcing yourself to be hardcore it’s about finding ways to keep moving that don’t make you hate the whole thing. Your winter walking habit in the UK will look different than summer – darker, wetter, more indoor alternatives. That’s not failure. That’s adaptation.

“Keeping a winter walking habit UK-style means embracing flexibility, not fighting the weather.”

Journaling Prompts:

What version of my walking habit would I actually stick to when everything goes wrong?

If I had to choose between walking perfectly once or walking imperfectly every day for a week, which builds the stronger habit?

So here’s your choice right now:

Choice 1: Bookmark this post, tell yourself you’ll figure out your bad-weather strategy “when you need it,” then find yourself on a rainy Tuesday evening with no plan, no motivation, and Netflix calling your name.

Choice 2: Pick just ONE indoor alternative from this post – YouTube videos, walking pad, house laps, dancing, whatever actually sounds doable – and try it once this week. Just once. See if it feels as ridiculous as you think it will. (Spoiler: it probably won’t.)

Your winter walking habit doesn’t need perfect conditions. It just needs you to show up – in whatever form that takes today.

Which choice are you making? And what’s your go-to when the weather’s too grim to face? Let me know in the comments – I’m always looking for new ways to keep moving when Storm Sheila’s in town.

Thank you for Reading

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Everyday Mastery blends science, mindfulness, and small daily actions to help you build habits that last. If you enjoy these posts and want to support the writing, you can buy me a coffee it keeps the kettle (and the ideas) warm.

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Kel is the writer behind Everyday Mastery, where she shares the real, messy, and meaningful process of building habits, resilience, and self-belief from the ground up. Her writing blends ancient philosophy with modern science, always focused on small, practical steps that lead to lasting change.

Kel

Kel is the writer behind Everyday Mastery, where she shares the real, messy, and meaningful process of building habits, resilience, and self-belief from the ground up. Her writing blends ancient philosophy with modern science, always focused on small, practical steps that lead to lasting