Adults with moderate-to-severe depression who took up supervised Nordic walking twice a week saw their symptoms ease within about five weeks, according to a randomized controlled trial published in the Journal of Affective Disorders. By the 10-week endpoint, between 35 and 53.6 percent of the walkers no longer met the usual criteria for clinical depression.
The trial enrolled 64 adults and assigned them in a 3:1 ratio, with 48 people joining the Nordic walking program and 16 continuing their usual routines as a control group. Participants were about 50 years old on average, and 91 percent were women.
Depression severity was tracked with the Beck Depression Inventory-II, a standard questionnaire clinicians use to gauge symptoms. Assessments were taken at the start, at week five and at week 10.
What the walkers actually did
Sessions ran twice a week for roughly an hour, guided by a trained instructor. Small groups of four to 10 people walked at 65 to 75 percent of each person's maximum heart rate, a moderate effort verified with heart rate monitors, as summarized by PsyPost.
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Most of the improvement showed up early. According to Medical Xpress reporting on the trial, progress was concentrated in the first five weeks, and participants who started with the most severe symptoms improved faster than those with moderate depression. No injuries or health problems were recorded during the program.
The researchers, led by Clément Ginoux and colleagues, cautioned that the study was relatively small and that more trials are needed before Nordic walking can be positioned as a standalone treatment. Anyone with persistent depressive symptoms should still talk to a doctor about care options, and the finding sits alongside a wider body of work suggesting exercise can rival medication for some patients with depression.
Why the poles matter
Nordic walking is a Finnish invention. Harvard Health notes it originated in Finland in the early 20th century as a summer training method for cross-country skiers. Two lightweight poles are planted with each stride, which pushes the walker forward and pulls the arms, shoulders, back and core into the movement.
That extra recruitment is the point. Harvard Health estimates regular walking uses 50 to 70 percent of the body's muscles, while Nordic walking climbs to 80 to 90 percent. The added load also raises calorie burn by roughly 18 to 67 percent compared with ordinary walking.
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A second benefit for blood sugar
The mental health finding is not the only recent signal. A systematic review and meta-analysis published in the Journal of Diabetes Research in January 2026 pooled six randomized trials with 321 adults who had prediabetes or type 2 diabetes and reported that Nordic walking lowered HbA1c, a marker of long-term blood sugar control, by 0.37 percent on average.
The effect was larger in people who already had diabetes, at 0.49 percent, than in those with prediabetes, at 0.2 percent. Modest reductions in body weight and small gains in HDL, the so-called good cholesterol, were also seen. Fasting glucose and insulin resistance measures did not change significantly.
Getting started
Little kit is required. Harvard Health suggests beginners start on level surfaces, use the poles only about 25 percent of the time at first, and build up to two or three sessions a week lasting 30 to 60 minutes each. A pair of trekking or purpose-built Nordic poles and a nearby park are enough to try the method the trial tested.
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This article is made and published by Jesper Bengtson, who may have used AI in the preparation.