This Is How Many Steps You Need To Boost Brain Health (And It's Less Than 10,000)

The numbers many of us have been told to live our lives by aren’t as sound as we might expect. 

Despite what you may have heard, for instance, you don’t actually need eight glasses of water a day or eight hours of sleep a night ― the real figure depends on your genes, age, lifestyle and even gender. 

And that “10,000 steps a day” rule fitness gurus parrot was actually originally a marketing tool from a pedometer company (in fact, the Japanese character for 10,000 looks a bit like someone walking). 

Still, the benefits of walking are undeniable. A study published by the British Journal of Sports Medicine, for instance, found that people who walked between 9,000 and 10,500 steps daily had a 39% overall mortality risk. And it’s also great for brain health.

But when exactly do the benefits cap out ― and what’s the bare minimum we should walk for better health?

A study puts it at less than 10,000

A study published in JAMA Neurology found that walking at least 3,800 steps a day is associated with decreased dementia risk (25% lower than those who took fewer steps).

That risk reduction rose as participants walked more. 

But there was a cut-off point ― the benefit “peaked at 9,800 with no measurable gains beyond this number,” Harvard says. 

The best results were seen among people who took between 3,800 and 9,800 steps, averaged more than 40 steps per minute (multiple studies have linked gait speed to brain ageing), and walked about 112 steps during the most active 30 minutes of their day.

“Our findings suggest that approximately 9800 steps per day may be optimal to lower the risk of dementia,” the paper reads.

What’s the bare minimum walking I should do a day?

The JAMA Neurology paper puts it at 3,800 for brain health, though they mention other papers which have it as 4,400. 

But speaking to HuffPost’s podcast Am I Doing It Wrong?, exercise physiologist at NYU Langone Health in New York, Heather Milton, said the better number to focus on is 30.

Apparently, we should aim for around 30 minutes of moderate exercise every day, she explains, and should also not sit for longer than half an hour. 

“10,000 [steps] may not be what you want to set [your step goal as],” she added. 

Your goal might “just be to increase it by 200. Then you can increase slowly over time, so you’re getting more active time. It may not be structured exercise, but it is physical activity. And that can help with your metabolism and your overall health”.