A study published in the journal JAMA Network Open sheds light on the benefits of walking every day for the mind and spirit. The study also found that increasing the number of steps you take each day can significantly reduce symptoms of depression.
Research by Estela Jimenez-Lopez of the University of Castile-La Mancha, Spain calls it a “natural antidepressant.”
Researchers looked at data from 33 studies involving more than 96,000 adults worldwide. They tracked participants' walking habits and daily step counts and linked them to their mental health.
Daily steps don’t have to be huge to have an impact on mental health. Even small increases in daily steps can help reduce the risk of depression.
People who took just 1,000 extra steps a day had a 9% lower risk of depression than those who walked 5,000 steps or fewer.
As the number of steps increased, the mental health benefits became even greater. Walking 7,000 steps a day reduced the risk of depression by 31%, and walking 7,500 steps a day reduced the risk by 43%. These results were consistent across all age groups.
However, the study also found that while trying to take more steps improved mental health, the benefits stopped increasing after a certain point and step count reached a certain level.
The greatest decline in depression was seen at around 10,000 steps per day. After that, walking more did not lead to further improvement.
In addition to walking, researchers also recommend physical activities such as aerobics, weight training, yoga and even tai chi, which can also help with depression.
