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  • From BBC Learning English, this is

  • Learning English from the News, our podcast about the news headlines.

  • In this programme, 7,000 steps a day can reduce your risk of depression,

  • Global Study reveals.

  • Hello, I'm Georgie.

  • And I'm Beth.

  • In this programme, we look at one big news story and the vocabulary in the headlines that will help you understand it.

  • You can find all the vocabulary and headlines from this episode, as well as a worksheet, on our website, bbclearningenglish.com.

  • OK, let's hear more about this story.

  • People who have a higher daily step countthat's the number of steps you walk per dayhave a lower risk of depression, according to a new meta-analysis.

  • Yes, a meta-analysis is a study that pulls together the results of lots of different research projects.

  • But walking improves mental health, isn't that something we already knew?

  • Well, previous research had found that walking more was linked to better heart health and a longer life in general, but this new study might add mental health to that list too.

  • The authors suggest that a daily active lifestyle might help to lower the risk of depression in adults.

  • Let's have our first headline.

  • This one is from The Times in the UK, 7,000 steps to happinesshow a daily stroll can fight depression.

  • And that headline again from The Times, 7,000 steps to happinesshow a daily stroll can fight depression.

  • Now, this headline is about this new study's suggestion that a daily stroll could be good for our mental health.

  • Daily means you do it every day, but Beth, we're looking at this word stroll. What can you tell us about it?

  • Well, stroll is another word for walk, but it's a bit more specific.

  • It means to walk in a relaxed, leisurely way.

  • So what do you think is more important when you're strolling, Georgie?

  • The destination or the experience?

  • Well, you said stroll is about relaxing, so I guess we walk for the experience of walking. And Beth, how is it used?

  • Well, in the headline it's a noun, a daily stroll, and we often hear the combination go for a stroll or let's go for a stroll.

  • Yes, and like the word walk, it's also used as a verb.

  • For example, I strolled through the city streets after work to wind down.

  • And we have a lot of different words for walking in a relaxing way, don't we?

  • Yes, we do. We have amble, saunter, meander and wonder.

  • Ah, so many good ones.

  • Shall we go for a stroll now, Georgie?

  • No, Beth, we've got two more headlines to talk about.

  • OK.

  • We've had stroll, a relaxed, leisurely walk.

  • For example, we went for a stroll around the old town to admire the architecture.

  • This is Learning English from the News, our podcast about the news headlines.

  • Today we're talking about a new study linking a higher step count to lower risk of depression.

  • The study found that those who walked 7,000 daily steps had a much lower chance of depression than those who walked 5,000 daily steps or fewer.

  • This might mean that 7,000 steps is enough to have a positive effect on our mental health.

  • Which is fewer than the 10,000 steps that has been popularly thought of as the best number.

  • Let's have our next headline.

  • OK, this one's from the Daily Mail.

  • And that headline again from the Daily Mail.

  • Experts pinpoint the precise number of daily steps you need to take to beat depression.

  • Spoiler alert, it's not 10,000.

  • OK, this headline is about the number of steps that are supposed to reduce your risk of depression.

  • We're looking at the word pinpoint.

  • Yes, it's a verb here.

  • Experts pinpoint the precise number is what the headline says.

  • And Georgie, I think it'll help if we break this word pinpoint down.

  • Yes, we've got pin, which is a very thin, sharp metal object.

  • And then we've got point, which in this context is the sharp end of that pin.

  • OK, now imagine a noticeboard with a big map on it.

  • If I gave you a pin and asked you to pinpoint London on the map, where would you put the pin?

  • Well, Beth, I would put the pin precisely in the middle of London.

  • Exactly.

  • So that is the literal meaning of pinpoint, to precisely locate something physically.

  • OK, but these researchers aren't locating things with a pin on a map.

  • Here, experts pinpoint the number is used metaphorically to mean identify something precisely.

  • And we often hear it in combination with problem, pinpoint a problem.

  • For example, we need to pinpoint the problem with the car before we can fix it.

  • We've had pinpoint, identify something precisely.

  • For example, it's difficult to pinpoint the moment when their friendship started to fall apart.

  • This is Learning English from the News from BBC Learning English.

  • We're talking about how increasing your daily steps may lower your risk of depression.

  • One of the study's authors says getting more daily steps promotes mental health by enhancing brain function, improving mood, reducing stress and encouraging positive behaviours.

  • But the authors also make it clear that just because people with a higher step count had a lower risk of depression, it doesn't mean that it's the 7,000 steps that cause that lower risk of depression.

  • OK, Beth, let's have another headline.

  • OK, this is from

  • Medical Express,

  • Walking away from depression, how daily steps improve mental health.

  • That headline again,

  • Walking away from depression, how daily steps improve mental health.

  • And that's from

  • Medical Express.

  • We're interested in this phrasal verb, walk away from.

  • Now, Beth, this seems simple.

  • If there's a bad smell,

  • I walk away from it.

  • Or if you say something mean to me,

  • I'll walk away from you.

  • OK, well, that is the literal sense.

  • But you can't physically walk away from depression, like in the headline, can you?

  • No, so this is the metaphorical sense.

  • Walk away from someone or something means to leave an unpleasant situation or person.

  • Yes, for example, walking away from a bad relationship means finally breaking up with someone who wasn't treating you well.

  • Yes, or you can walk away from a job you don't like by quitting.

  • So walk away from depression, metaphorically, means to not be depressed anymore.

  • But you may have noticed there's a double meaning here.

  • Yes, because we're talking about a study about walking to reduce the risk of depression, it has a literal meaning as well.

  • Literally walking to get rid of depression.

  • We've had walk away from someone or something, leave an unpleasant situation or person.

  • For example,

  • I had to finally walk away from my jewellery business because it wasn't making any money.

  • I didn't know you had a jewellery business.

  • That's it for this episode of Learning English from the News.

  • We'll be back next week with another news story.

  • And if you enjoyed learning that final phrasal verb, walk away from, we have a whole series on phrasal verbs.

  • Phrasal verbs with Georgie.

  • That's you!

  • Yes, that's me.

  • You can find it on our website bbclearningenglish.com.

  • And don't forget to follow us on social media.

  • Just search BBC

  • Learning English.

  • Bye for now.

  • Bye.

From BBC Learning English, this is

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