Do you want to protect yourself from the winter blues? Start by counting your steps – modern research

Over 330 million People all over the world are currently suffering from depression, though complexity diagnoses and heterogeneity this condition means that such a number can only be a conservative estimate.

The main cause is depressive disorders disabilityand affect many aspects of a person’s quality of life, including their emotional well-being, social relationships, functional abilities and physical health. Fortunately, we have ways to prevent this, and exercise is one of them.

The risk of developing depression is influenced by a number of interrelated genetic, biological, psychological, environmental, social and behavioral factors. These include unhealthy lifestyle elements such as not getting enough regular physical activitycan play a key role in the deterioration of mental health.

Identifying these risks and encouraging a preventive approach is therefore crucial to reducing the incidence of depression and improving people’s overall quality of life.

We don’t exercise enough

Physical activity is an integral part of a fit lifestyle, but on a global scale 81% teenagers AND 31% of adults do not meet recommended guidelines.

At the same time, physical activity levels are increasingly insufficient in two-thirds of the world’s regions. In 2019 it is contributed up to 830,000 deaths and loss of 16 million disability-adjusted life years worldwide. Since 1990, these numbers have increased by approximately 84%.

Researcher Steven Blair examined the attributable fractions of all-cause deaths according to various risk factors and argued as early as 2009 that “Physical inactivity is one of the most important public health problems of the 21st century“. More recent evidence supports his statement; physical activity must be a global public health priority.

An vigorous lifestyle can help prevent depression both through biological mechanisms (such as neurogenesis and reduced inflammation) and psychosocial mechanisms (such as self-esteem and social support). However, any potential benefits are offset by a general enhance in insufficient levels of physical activity over recent decades.

This lifestyle change not only increases the incidence of obesity, non-communicable diseases and premature mortality. It also contributes to environmental degradation and burdens our economy with healthcare costs and lost productivity. Several factors are to blame, including rapid urbanization, sedentary work and contemporary transportation systems.

Progress towards Goal of the World Health Organization (WHO). Reducing insufficient levels of physical activity by 15% by 2030 is tardy. If current trends continue, we will not achieve the proposed target.

According to the WHO report on global state of physical activity in 2022which collected data from 166 countries, less than a third of national governments had guidelines for all ages and only about 40% had pedestrian-friendly road design standards. Promoting physical activity among the general public remains a challenge.

Counting your steps daily: a preventive strategy

Counting daily steps is a straightforward, intuitive and objective way to get people vigorous, research has shown Counting steps can help people achieve recommended levels of physical activity. Fortunately, this is making it increasingly easier to keep track of wearable devices such as fitness trackers and sharp watches.

Using trackers that allow for constant self-control and incorporating simple goals have shown a beneficial effect on increasing daily steps among adults.

The relationship between step count and depression

To determine the link between step count and depression, I recently conducted a study with a team of other researchers from Spain and Latin America review of scientific literature. We synthesized the results of 33 studies that included a total of 96,173 adults of all ages.

We found that achieving 5,000 or more steps per day was associated with fewer depressive symptoms, and the incidence of depression was 42% lower in adults who took 7,500 or more steps per day. In longitudinal studies lasting 2 to 7 years in people who did not suffer from depression at the beginning of treatment, increasing the number of steps by 1,000 steps per day showed a 9% reduction in the risk of depression. People who took 7,000 or more steps each day had a 31% lower risk.

These findings confirm the findings of previous research; Even moderate levels of physical activity can protect against depression.

Our results should also be considered in airy of previous research on what types of physical activity best prevent depression – for example, one recent study found that other forms of physical activity like walking and yoga are equally effective.

Other features of physical activity such as intensityas well as additional elements such as environmentage and individual risk of mental disorders may also influence symptoms of depression.

Counting daily steps can greatly facilitate people enhance physical activity, which in turn helps prevent depression, although there is a clear need for more longitudinal research to elucidate the protective role of counting daily steps in preventing depression in adulthood.

However, if you’ve made it this far, we recommend you stop reading and take a walk.