Weekend warrior routines reduce risk of health complications just as well as daily exercise regimens.
Busy schedules can make it difficult for people to maintain regular exercise routines. However, a recent study conducted by researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital offers promising news for those who tend to let physical activity fall by the wayside because they have two much on their plate during the week. The study found that this “weekend warrior” approach, engaging in moderate-to-vigorous exercise primarily on weekends, is associated with a significantly lower risk of developing 264 diseases. Interestingly, the study also concluded that this condensed approach was just as effective in reducing disease risk as spreading out workouts evenly throughout the week.
The research, published in Circulation, analyzed data from 89,573 participants in the UK Biobank study. These individuals wore wrist accelerometers for one week, which tracked their total physical activity and exercise intensity. Participants were classified into three groups: weekend warriors, regular exercisers who spread their physical activity over several days, and inactive individuals. All active participants, regardless of their exercise pattern, met the recommended 150 minutes of moderate-to-intense physical activity per week.
The findings showed that both weekend warriors and regular exercisers experienced significantly lower risks for developing over 200 different diseases when compared to inactive participants. These diseases spanned a wide range of categories, including cardiometabolic conditions such as high blood pressure and diabetes, as well as mental health disorders, digestive issues, and neurological conditions. For instance, the risk of developing hypertension was reduced by 23% for weekend warriors and by 28% for regular exercisers over a median follow-up period of six years. Similarly, the risk of developing diabetes was reduced by 43% for weekend warriors and by 46% for those who exercised more regularly.
What made these results particularly notable was the consistency of the health benefits across various definitions of weekend warrior activity. Whether individuals engaged in longer bouts of exercise on one or two days or spread shorter, more frequent sessions throughout the week, the total volume of exercise appeared to be the key factor in reducing disease risk. This suggests that, when it comes to preventing a wide range of illnesses, it is not so much the distribution of exercise that matters, but rather the overall amount of time spent engaging in physical activity.
The study’s co-senior author, Dr. Shaan Khurshid, mentioned the broad implications of these findings, noting that physical activity, regardless of routine, is beneficial for lowering the risk of future diseases. For individuals who struggle to fit exercise into their daily routines, the weekend warrior model may offer a practical solution without compromising health benefits.
Dr. Patrick Ellinor, the study’s other co-senior author and acting chief of Cardiology at Massachusetts General Hospital, emphasized the need for future research to further explore the effectiveness of concentrated exercise in improving public health outcomes. He suggested that public health interventions could encourage people to focus on the total volume of exercise they perform each week, rather than worrying about how they distribute their physical activity.
Overall, the study provides reassurance for those who can’t exercise daily due to their busy lifestyles that some exercise is still better than none at all. Whether it’s a regular routine spread throughout the week, or a burst of activity over the weekend, both patterns of physical activity offer significant health benefits. The key takeaway is to prioritize meeting the 150-minute weekly exercise guideline in whatever way best fits one’s schedule. The findings of this research suggest that health-conscious individuals can choose the exercise routine that works best for them—whether it’s consistently throughout the week or in the form of weekend warrior sessions—without sacrificing the protective benefits that physical activity offers for long-term health.
Sources:
Weekend warrior exercise linked with lower risk of developing 264 diseases
Associations of “Weekend Warrior” Physical Activity With Incident Disease and Cardiometabolic Health
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