To Your Health
January, 2025 (Vol. 19, Issue 01) |
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Time to Step Up
By Editorial Staff
Let's face it: Not everyone wants to hit the weight room, treadmill or elliptical in the all-mighty quest to optimize health. Reality #2: Not everyone is physically able to do those things, depending on pre-existing conditions, age, etc.
Enter the power of good-old-fashioned walking, which research suggests not only helps maintain fitness, but also reduces depression symptoms.
"Higher daily step counts were associated with fewer depressive symptoms in the general adult population," concludes a new study, with step counts ranging from 5,000 or more in some studies to 7,000 or more in others. In other words, depending on the study, adults who achieved 5,000 or higher daily step counts (compared to fewer than 5,000) had a reduced risk of experiencing symptoms of depression; and adults who achieved 7,000 or higher step counts (compared to fewer than 7,000) also had a reduced risk.
Daily step counts were recorded using accelerometers or pedometers – which are common these days on smartphones and other devices. That means it's easy to monitor your daily step count – and according to this research analysis, every step you take won't just improve your physical health; it will also improve your mental health by reducing your risk of depression.
This isn't the first – and certainly won't be the last – study on the importance of daily steps in health and wellness. In fact, we've published dozens of such studies in the past several years. So if you're not doing it already, it's time to step up!
