How many winters have you told yourself you would keep walking, and then stopped by the second week of December?

Mine was three in a row. The problem was not motivation. It was that I had no plan for the specific things that make winter walking miserable.

Layer in three, not four

Base layer, fleece, shell. That is it. The fourth layer is what makes people overheat, sweat, and then freeze when they slow down.

The rule of thumb that finally worked for me is to dress for weather 20 degrees warmer than the forecast. You should feel slightly chilly for the first five minutes.

Hands and ears, in that order

Cold hands end more walks than cold legs ever have. Get mittens rather than gloves, since fingers share heat that way.

A thin fleece headband beats a full hat when you are moving. Your head is where most of the heat leaves, and a headband keeps it in without trapping sweat.

Pick a short loop

This is the part I got wrong for years. I planned a 45 minute walk, the weather was terrible, and I quit entirely.

Plan a 12 minute loop and go around twice if you feel good. A short loop you actually do beats a long one you skip.

Timing

Early afternoon is the warmest part of the day and, in much of the country, the sunniest. If you can shift your walk to 1 or 2 pm, winter gets 10 degrees easier.

Also watch for ice, not just cold. A walk on packed snow is fine. Black ice on a sidewalk is a broken wrist waiting to happen, and cleats for your shoes cost less than an urgent care visit.

Track it visibly

Put a calendar by the door and mark each day. I do not know why a paper calendar beats an app for this, but for me it does by a wide margin.

Missing one day is fine. Missing three in a row is how the habit dies.