It's promising evidence that even small amounts of movement can add up to support better mental health, said Karmel Choi, a clinical psychologist and assistant professor at Harvard Medical School, who was not involved with the meta-analysis.
Studies like these are encouraging because they're not saying that you have to be a marathon runner or go to a really intense class, but you can accumulate the type of movement that's beneficial for your mental health in more gentle ways, said Choi.
Setting goals for the number of daily steps may be a promising and inclusive public health strategy for the prevention of depression, the authors of the meta-analysis write.
For every 1,000 daily step increase, adults reduced their risk of developing depression by 9%, highlighting the impact of physical activity on mental wellbeing.
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