I love living in Iowa. I really do. I love the slower pace, the endless beauty, the family atmosphere, and all the seasons...well almost all of them. Summer brings sweet corn stands on every corner, fall smells like woodsmoke and the cornfields look like fields of gold, and spring's new life is so refreshing.
But then January comes. And January… lingers on and on. The holidays are over, the sky turns gray, and the cold begins to feel less romantic and more… relentless. Every year around this time, I start searching for ways to get back to being outside again—to feel the air on my skin, to see the sky, to hear something other than the hum of appliances. I think many of us feel that longing, whether we say it out loud or not. And I really believe we were made to be outside...
And a winter wellness backyard, surprisingly, can be just the cure.
Paul and I have discovered firsthand that the answer to long Iowa winters isn’t staying inside—it’s learning how to step outside again. When we began designing our own spaces to be enjoyed in every season, we felt like we had found the cure… a way to return to nature, to quiet, and to the beauty of our own backyard—even in winter.
And once you experience it, it’s hard not to get excited about what a backyard can really become.
Learning to Love “Wintering”
That’s when I began to understand the idea of wintering. Wintering isn’t about hibernating or waiting for spring to arrive. It’s about learning to live differently in the colder months—slowing down, resting, thinking, and still staying connected to the outdoors in simple, meaningful ways. For us, wintering has looked like stepping outside on cold evenings, sitting by a fire, soaking in warm water, and breathing in the quiet of the season instead of hiding from it.
A winter wellness backyard makes that possible. It’s a space designed not just for summer entertaining, but for year-round living—a place where fire, warm water, fresh air, and thoughtful design come together so you can enjoy your backyard even in January. We discovered firsthand that when your backyard is inviting in winter, you don’t feel trapped indoors anymore… you feel grounded, restored, and connected to the beauty that’s still all around you.
Why We Designed Our Space for Winter Wellness
Paul and I didn’t design our backyard this way just because it looks beautiful—although we certainly love that part. We designed it because we wanted to feel better.
Winter can be hard on the body and mind. Less sunlight, less movement, more time indoors… it’s easy to feel sluggish or restless. We started paying attention to the things that actually helped us feel healthy again: warmth, fresh air, movement, quiet, and time outside, even in small doses.
Even when the air is cold, natural light and fresh air do something powerful for your body and mind. While it’s true that in northern climates we don’t produce as much vitamin D from sunlight in the winter months, being outdoors still supports your circadian rhythm, improves mood, and helps your body feel more awake and balanced. There’s a difference between looking at daylight through a window and actually stepping outside into it—and we feel that difference every day.
That realization changed how we think about outdoor spaces entirely. A backyard isn’t just for entertaining in July. It can be a place for restoration, for health, for daily rhythms that make life feel calmer, more balanced and active!
How the Hot Tub Became a Daily Ritual
One of the biggest changes for us was adding a hot tub. What started as something we thought we’d use occasionally has become something we use almost every day. There’s something about stepping into warm water while the air is cold that resets your whole body. Muscles relax. Your mind slows down. You sleep better. Conversations last longer because there is no screen time distraction.
Sometimes we sit quietly and watch our toddler dive for treasures. Sometimes we talk about the day. Sometimes we watch the snow fall or look up at the stars. It’s become less of a luxury and more of a ritual—one of those simple habits that quietly improves your quality of life. And honestly, once you experience that contrast of warm water and cold air, it’s hard to go back to staying inside all winter.
Why the Fire Pit Was the Missing Piece
Warm water relaxes your body, but there’s something deeply calming about having a fire in your line of sight—the flicker of light, the glow against the snow, the movement that gives your eyes somewhere to rest. So we positioned a fire pit where we could see it clearly from the hot tub. (Check out the Recker job to see how we designed their backyard with winter wellness in mind too!)
What We’re Adding Next: A Red Light Sauna
The next step for us is adding a red light sauna, something we’ve become increasingly excited about—not just for relaxation, but for health.
Heat therapy, circulation, muscle recovery, skin health, better sleep, less inflammation… the benefits are real, and when it’s right outside your door, it becomes something you actually use instead of something you mean to do someday.
We’re drawn to the idea of creating a complete wellness environment outdoors—moving between heat, fresh air, and rest in a way that feels natural and grounding.
Not complicated. Not clinical. Just simple rhythms that help you feel like yourself again.
Taking a Cold Plunge
Cold exposure has become a huge part of the wellness world. Studios like Pause have entire cryotherapy chambers and cold-air treatments designed to give the body a quick burst of cold to stimulate circulation and boost energy. But one of the funny things about living in Iowa is that nature provides this for us in winter. We’ve found that even stepping out of the hot tub or sauna for a minute or two—letting the cold air hit your skin before warming back up—creates that same invigorating effect. It wakes up your body, sharpens your mind, and improves circulation in a way that feels surprisingly powerful. It’s simple, it’s free, and it’s one more reason a winter wellness backyard can support your health in ways most people don’t realize.
The Sweet Spot of Winter
I still love summer, and I will always look forward to spring. There’s nothing like long evenings, green fields, and the first warm breeze after a long winter. But learning how to truly winter well has shown me something I didn’t expect—that this season has its own kind of beauty, its own sweet spot. It’s a time to focus on health, to slow down, to think, and to rest in ways the busy seasons never allow. And when you begin to use your backyard differently—to step outside for warmth, fresh air, and quiet—you start to experience winter in a whole new way. Not as something to endure, but as a season that can actually add to your health, your happiness, and rest before busy days ahead.