SLASH Your Depression Risk by 25% (Here’s How!)
Yesterday I told you about how sunlight can help boost your mood.
Spending time outdoors—even if you’re just sitting in the sun—will make a big difference for your mental health.
But there’s something you can do to supercharge the sun’s mood-boosting benefits.
In fact, it has been proven to reduce the risk of depression by as much as 25 percent.
Study after study has shown that exercise can help fight depression.
And a little goes a long way.
A recent meta-analysis of 15 studies involving over 190,000 people found that brisk walking (or the equivalent) for just 1.25 hours per week led to an 18 percent lower risk of depression.
Boosting the amount of walking to 2.5 hours per week further boosted the risk reduction to 25 percent.
People who see the biggest mood-enhancing benefits are those who go from being a couch potato to exercising.
Previous studies have shown similar results.
In one, people who exercised on a regular basis had 43 percent fewer days of poor mental health. This particular study found that walking for 45 minutes three times per week was the most beneficial for mental health.
However, even doing household chores reduced poor mental health days by 10 percent.
The point here is that exercise is just as good for your mind and attitude as it is for your body.
And it doesn’t take much to do the trick.
If you want to make those benefits go even further, get your exercise outside in the sun.
P.S. In a recent study, researchers identified a shocking new risk factor for depression. Click here to find out what it is.
SOURCE:
LaMotte, S. (2022, April 14.) It Doesn’t Take a Lot of Exercise to Fight Depression, Study Says. Gwinnett Daily Post. https://www.gwinnettdailypost.com/features/health/it-doesnt-take-a-lot-of-exercise-to-fight-depression-study-says/article_8b172016-d9eb-5dce-91da-8184d37240e5.html