Do you have a hard time fitting workouts into your busy week? You are not alone. New research suggests that “weekend warriors” who accumulate at least 150 minutes of exercise in one or two days enjoy similar health benefits as those who spread workouts throughout the week. And, according to the study’s findings, both groups had reduced risks of suffering from more than 260 diseases, including diabetes, hypertension and mental health conditions.
“Physical activity is known to reduce the risk of many diseases,” says study co-senior author Shaan Khurshid, a cardiac electrophysiologist and cardiologist at Massachusetts General Hospital. “We demonstrate the potential benefits of weekend physical activity for the risk not only of cardiovascular disease, as we have confirmed in the past, but also of future diseases spanning the spectrum, from conditions such as chronic kidney disease to cardiovascular disorders. mood and more”.
Another recent study found that being a weekend athlete reduced the risk of cognitive conditions such as dementia, Parkinson’s disease, stroke and depressive disorders.
Leading a sedentary lifestyle increases a person’s risk of a number of ailments, including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke, cancer, depression and anxiety. About half of all Americans have chronic diseases that could be prevented with the help of regular physical activity, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. According to Spain’s Ministry of Health, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that if current rates of physical inactivity continue, there will be up to “500 million new cases of preventable non-communicable diseases between 2020 and 2030 globally.”
However, about 25 percent of Americans are not active enough to protect their health, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Only half of Americans meet federal guidelines for physical activity: at least 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity (usually translates to five to six, 20- to 30-minute sessions per week) or at least 75 minutes of vigorous activity per week.
According to the 2020 European Health Survey in Spain (EESE), 50.7% of people say they do not do physical exercise in their leisure time any day a week.
The nearly 90,000 people whose data researchers analyzed in the new study were divided into three categories: regular exercisers, weekend exercisers and inactive. The average age of study participants was 62 years, and 56 percent were women. They wore wrist accelerometers or sensors that tracked their physical activity for a week.
Compared to those who did not exercise, those who exercised regularly and weekend exercisers had a lower risk of contracting more than 260 diseases over six years. The protective benefits for type 2 diabetes were the highest, with a 43 percent lower risk for the weekend athlete and a 46 percent lower risk for the regular athlete.
“Because there appear to be similar benefits for weekend exercisers compared to regular activity, it may be the total volume of activity, rather than the pattern, that matters most,” says Khurshid.
The findings likely apply to many people, says Jim Liu, associate clinical professor of internal medicine and cardiologist at Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.
“It’s cool because a lot of us, honestly, probably fall into that category of weekend athletes,” Liu says. “I personally do it. By the time you get home from work, you have other responsibilities. I have young children and I can’t just say, ‘I’m going to go out and exercise for half an hour,'” she adds.
The intensity of physical activity is measured in METs, or metabolic equivalents, by the Compendium of Physical Activities. Moderate exercise ranges from 3.0 to 5.9 METs and includes activities such as walking, gardening, and swimming. High-intensity exercise is anything 6.0 or higher, such as running, shoveling snow, or ballroom dancing.
The research adds to previous studies showing that any amount of physical activity counts and allows people some flexibility, says Sara K. Rosenkranz, an exercise physiologist and associate professor of kinesiology and nutritional sciences at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Vegas (USA).
If you don’t regularly do moderate to vigorous physical activity during the week, but have time to do it on the weekend, you can do something you enjoy, like a bike ride or a walk, she says.
“The thing to keep in mind is that it doesn’t take much,” says Rosenkranz. “Even if it’s just a few minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity here or there, you’ll get a benefit,” he explains.
Exercising, even one or two days a week, also reduced the risk of mood disorders, which is another important benefit.
“We now hear a lot about the mental health challenges we all face, and there is a lot of evidence to show that doing some form of physical activity right away, particularly outdoor physical activity if you can, is a benefit. huge for the mood,” added Rosenkranz.
While engaging in physical activity one or two days a week can provide health benefits, it is essential to first consider your current health status. Liu says he’s heard many stories about weekend exercisers getting injured when they jump into high-intensity exercise all at once.
Studies have shown that people who are not active enough are more likely to develop musculoskeletal injuries if they try to cram all their exercise into one or two days, says Rosenkranz.
“Just be careful,” Liu says. “Make sure you do all your pre-exercise stretches and warm-ups. Maybe during the week, at least try to do some low-intensity exercise to try to keep your body more conditioned, so that when you do that higher-intensity exercise the weekends, you may have a lower risk of injury,” he advises.
And for people with conditions like prediabetes or diabetes, regular physical activity throughout the week, such as taking a walk after a meal, is recommended to help regulate the body’s ability to use glucose, Rosenkranz says. Regular small doses of moderate exercise are also important for reducing blood pressure and the risk of dementia.
Ultimately, while there are benefits to being a weekend exerciser, people who can spread physical activity in small chunks throughout the week can get more out of their workouts than those who exercise only one or two days a week. week.
“They’re going to get that consistent benefit in terms of mood, maybe feeling more energized, which can allow them to do more. So I would say if you do it more than five days a week, keep it up,” Rosenkranz says. .