Being physically active for just a couple of days a week may be the key to boosting health, researchers said Wednesday.
People who follow a “weekend warrior” approach and participate in at least two-and-a-half hours of moderate to vigorous physical activity in just two days surprisingly experienced similar health benefits as distributing the activity throughout the week.
Similarly to those who engaged in activity throughout the week, those who spent less time or fewer days being active had a significantly lower risk of death from all causes, as well as cardiovascular disease and cancer.
“You don’t need to exercise every day to stay healthy. As long as you get 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity per week — whether packed into one to two days or spread out — you can significantly reduce your risk of dying from cardiovascular disease, cancer or other causes,” Dr. Zhi-Hao Li, an epidemiologist in the School of Public Health at Southern Medical University in Guangzhou, China, said in a statement.
Li is the corresponding author of a new study published in the peer-reviewed Journal of the American Heart Association.
The study examined the physical activity of more than 93,000 participants between the ages of 37 and 73 in a large United Kingdom biomedical database. The researchers said the study was the first to analyze the relationship between physical activity patterns measured by devices and the risk of death from cardiovascular disease and cancer.
Participants, who were largely white, wore wrist accelerometers that tracked their physical activity. The data gathered was then categorized into three groups: “active weekend warrior,” “active regular,” and “inactive.”
Those who were “active weekend warriors” completed the majority of their exercise on two days, “active regulars” spread their activity throughout the week, and “inactives” did not complete the recommended minimum of 150 minutes of weekly physical activity.
Both the World Health Organization and the American Heart Association recommend that adults engage in 150 to 300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity, between 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity, or an equivalent combination of moderate and vigorous-intensity activity.
Compared to the inactive group, the others had a significantly lower risk of death from all causes, cardiovascular disease and cancer if they completed 150 minutes of physical activity a week.
“This message is encouraging news for busy people who struggle to fit in daily workouts, but can manage a concentrated burst of activity on weekends or over a couple of days,” Li said. “The research provides reassuring evidence that even sporadic physical activity can have lasting health benefits, making it easier for people to prioritize their well-being amid busy schedules.”
But an “important caveat to remember is that trying to fit 150 minutes of exercise into just one or two days can be a lot on your body,” pointed out American Heart Association expert volunteer Dr. Keith Diaz. “Some research suggests that weekend warriors have a slightly higher risk of musculoskeletal injuries compared to those who exercise more regularly.”
He added, however, that the benefits of exercising just on the weekend far outweigh the potential risks. “If you are going to be a weekend warrior, make sure you do proper warm-ups and build up and progress to higher volumes of activity over time,” Diaz advised. “This will help to reduce your risk of injuries.”
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