Nordic walking helped to reduce symptoms of depression
Nordic walking is not just a walk with poles. This form of exercise engages not only the legs but also the arms, shoulders and back, which is why ordinary walking is transformed into a more vigorous aerobic workout.
A new study has shown that, in adults with moderate to severe symptoms of depression, supervised Nordic walking sessions were associated with a noticeable improvement after just five weeks.
The study has been published in the Journal of Affective Disorders.
Details
The study involved 64 adults with moderate or severe symptoms of depression. They were randomly divided into two groups: 48 people were assigned to the Nordic walking group, and a further 16 to an inactive control group.
The programme lasted 10 weeks. Participants in the Nordic walking group exercised twice a week for one hour under the guidance of an instructor. The intensity was moderate — around 65–75 per cent of maximum heart rate.
Symptoms of depression were assessed on three occasions: before the programme began, after five weeks, and after ten weeks. The Beck Depression Inventory-II, a widely used questionnaire for assessing the severity of depressive symptoms, was used for this purpose.
What the researchers found
In the Nordic walking group, symptoms of depression decreased more significantly than in the control group. The most noticeable improvement occurred in the first half of the programme – during the first five weeks.
The improvement was particularly rapid among participants who had more severe symptoms at the start of the study. According to the authors, it was in this group that the reduction in symptoms during the first five weeks was more pronounced than in people with moderate depression.
By the middle of the programme, approximately half of the participants in the Nordic walking group had achieved a clinical response — that is, their symptoms had reduced by at least 50 per cent. In the control group, no such result had been observed by the fifth week.
Why this might work
Physical activity has long been regarded as one of the ways to manage depression. Exercise affects not only the muscles and heart, but also sleep, energy levels, stress, a sense of control and everyday activity.
Nordic walking can be a convenient option because it does not require a gym or overly complex equipment. All you need are poles, a safe route and a straightforward technique. At the same time, the intensity is higher than that of a normal walk because it engages the upper body.
However, an important detail of the study is that the sessions were supervised. People didn’t simply ‘walk however they fancied’: they trained with an instructor, at a set intensity and on a regular schedule. This may have influenced the results.
Why this matters
When suffering from depression, people often find it difficult to even start a simple activity. That is why a rapid effect matters: if improvement is seen not after several months, but after just a few weeks, people may find it easier to stick with the programme.
The authors believe that such findings strengthen the case for accessible community-based physical activity programmes as part of treatment for depression. This is particularly important for people who find it difficult to take up high-intensity sport or attend the gym regularly.
However, this conclusion should not be taken as a one-size-fits-all solution. Depression is a medical condition, and professional help is needed for moderate or severe symptoms. Nordic walking can be part of a support plan, but it is not a substitute for treatment on its own.
Background
Nordic walking originated in Finland as a summer training programme for skiers. It is now used as a health-promoting activity for people of all ages.
Unlike ordinary walking, it involves pushing off with special poles. This helps to engage the arms, shoulders and core, increase energy expenditure and make the walk more like a full-body workout.
For people with depression, this format may be psychologically easier than ‘sport’ in the traditional sense. It is not a competition, a sprint or a trip to the gym, but a regular, controlled outdoor activity.
Source
Study: Clément Ginoux, Brendon Stubbs, Matthew P. Herring, Mohammad Farris Iman Leong Bin Abdullah, Fabien D. Legrand — “Early antidepressant effects of supervised Nordic walking in adults with moderate to severe depression: A randomised controlled trial”, Journal of Affective Disorders, 2026.