This post was last updated on April 4th, 2026 at 12:06 pm
Mother Nature isn’t a marketer, but springtime is definitely false advertising. Sunny and 70 degrees one day, then 30 degrees and windy the next. Your hopes for summer build, only to have them crushed by plunging temperatures. Not just once but multiple times. Springtime plays with your head in a unique way, which is why you need a strategy to stick to your outdoor walking routines.
One of my favorite routines, a Sunday stroll to Walgreens with our two kids, recently fell victim to this spring phenomenon. On March 8, we chickened out of our weekly walk after briefly stepping outside and feeling a cold harsh breeze hit our hatless heads. The problem wasn’t that the temperatures were in the 30s. The problem was that temperatures had reached into the 60s the previous day. We loved this taste of spring so much that the next day’s 30 degrees felt much colder than it actually was. In a moment of weakness, we remained indoors and pouted.
The irony is that the three of us regularly embark on walks during the winter months. Here in Wisconsin and much of the Midwest, winter means temperatures well below 30. We’re prepared for the cold. We actually enjoy walking through a snowfall, and I’m a fan of winter biking (though haven’t done it in a few years).
But once March hits, with Mother Nature tossing in a few mild days, anything below 50 suddenly becomes intolerable. If you’re not careful, spring can become an all-or-nothing proposition. When spring arrives, we can’t help but jumping to thoughts of summer. Anything that smacks of winter weather is met with protest—namely in the form of us staying indoors.
Missing a walk or two isn’t the end of the world. But being frugalmatic is about cleverly building physical activity into your daily routine. When you walk to a store and shop at that store, walking becomes more than exercise. It’s transportation and serves a practical purpose. Dressing properly for the weather is a matter of ensuring that you can get from point A to B (even if it’s to just buy a newspaper and gum at the store). When you aren’t properly dressed, it’s almost like skipping out on going to the gym. If you rely on transportation for exercise, dressing for the weather is critical.
Steps to avoid the all-or-nothing trap
The good news is, you can avoid falling into spring’s all-or-nothing trap. First, it’s important to keep the winter clothing out and ready to go, no matter how crazy it seems. Even if you’re wearing shorts and a t-shirt one day, resist the urge to pack away (both physically and mentally) the winter coat. Keep that coat in the open to remind yourself that one warm day does not make spring. Also, don’t be in a hurry to pack up the long underwear. It’s a great wind barrier.
Indeed, a better psychological approach to spring would be to treat this season like fall. Fall has similar temperatures, but the trend is reversed. I find it easier to handle the fall’s temperature swings because you’re expecting the weather to turn colder. You bring out that winter coat expecting to use it more and more. In spring, you bring out the shorts for that one warm day, perhaps not realizing that you’ve also subconsciously decided to shun your winter coat. However, you need a winter coat precisely because 40 degrees in March feels a lot colder than 40 degrees in October.
The other article of clothing that I wear throughout the winter, including indoors (to my wife’s irritation), is a winter hat. A hat, preferably with a pom-pom on top, doesn’t solve all of spring’s problems but nearly does. It can make up for a poor jacket choice. Gloves also help, but you have that option of sticking your hands into your coat pockets.
How to manage the rain factor
Rain is another springtime issue that can sabotage walking routines, especially because fewer people seem willing to wear rain boots (and I won’t even mention galoshes). People are more allergic to rain than cold. Case in point: my willingness (sometimes eagerness) to walk through the snow. Snow can be fun. You can ski on it. You can build a snowman with it. Plus, snow must be cleared from the driveway. Shoveling is not fun, but it can be a great exercise opportunity (very frugalmatic).
Rain ruins just about everything that’s not related to growing gardens, which our family loves to do. It cancels baseball games. It cancels pickleball. It cancels grill outs. It sometimes freezes and becomes a slipping hazard.
Blending your winter gear and rain gear can help you persevere. I often wear a waterproof winter coat when it’s drizzly and 40 degrees or so. With rain, the issue becomes: How do you protect your head and feet from becoming wet? If you’re not willing to either grab an umbrella or wear rain boots, walking in the rain becomes almost untenable. And it rains a lot in the spring, which can absolutely undermine your fitness goals.
‘No such thing as bad weather…’
There’s an old saying about weather, which I sometimes tell my kids (to their irritation): “There is no such thing as bad weather, only unsuitable clothing.” That’s true all year but especially during the spring.
The key to staying consistent with your walking routine during the spring is to prepare not just physically but psychologically. You can’t let yourself fall in love with those occasional 60- and 70-degree days. Enjoy them, yes. But don’t do what I did the other week and rebel by refusing to go outdoors once the temperatures plummet again. If it helps any, pretend it’s the fall, and you’re girding for colder weather. That way, you might not be as disappointed when those warm days end.