It sounds glib — and frankly, insulting to some degree — to suggest someone with depression should "just exercise to feel better," when it takes much more motivation than it would for someone who doesn't have the condition. After all, even if you don't have diagnosed depression but just feel mentally or emotionally spent, who feels like working out? It's all you can do to get through the day, let alone muster the energy to get up and exercise.

This might help: We're not talking triathlons or even high-intensity activity necessarily. Along with evidence that exercise can be beneficial on mood, there's also research indicating that it really doesn't take much to make that happen. As in, just a walk outside during lunch could have a profound effect, especially because it establishes a habit of regular physical activity. Here's a look at why, along with some tips to get you started.

When people start exercising, "even if just a bit," a number of things can happen, says Lisa Uebelacker, PhD, professor of psychiatry and human behavior at Brown University's Alpert Medical School. For one thing, being active can boost your self-esteem, she says. It also helps people manage stress, lose weight, boost mental alertness and sleep better, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

That last one, improved sleep quality, is huge for addressing depression. A 2022 study in the ?Journal of Affective Disorders? suggest that both insufficient sleep and excessive sleep both increase the risk for depression. Another 2022 study, published in ?Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences,? suggests that difficulty sleeping is linked to higher prevalence of depression, and that association was true for all age groups. That means boosting sleep quality and hitting the sweet spot in terms of duration — about 7 to 9 hours per night — could ease depression symptoms.