BBC: Reduce risk of depression-2

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

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. 

Okay, Beth, let's have another headline. 

Okay, this if 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. Okay, 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 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 don'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.