Research suggests that just two days a week may be enough to maintain cancer and heart disease.
A group of researchers around the world found that moderate to active physical activity for at least 150 minutes over two days had similar health benefits over the entire week.
Those who exercised only for two days were 32% lower risk of death from all causes, 31% lower chances of death from cardiovascular disease, and 21% lower risk of death from cancer.
The American Heart Association recommends that adults engage in moderately-intensive aerobic activity that expands approximately 150 minutes a week, 75 minutes a week, or a combination of both, preferably throughout the week.
However, this study shows that 150 minutes in just two days is effective.
Dr. Zhi-Hao Li, an epidemiologist at the Southern Medical University in Guangzhou, China, and the corresponding authors of the study stated: “You don’t need to exercise every day to stay healthy.
“As long as you get 150 minutes of moderate to active physical activity per week — whether stuffed or spreading in one or two days, it can significantly reduce your risk of dying from cardiovascular disease, cancer, or other causes.”
Exercise only two days a week may be enough to keep cancerous tumors and heart disease at bay
Published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, the study divided nearly 100,000 people into three groups from the UK, ages 37 to 73.
This group included “active weekend warriors” – those who completed most of their exercise in one or two days. “Active Regular” – Participants who spread their activity throughout the week and finally “inactive” – who did not complete the 150-minute activity per week.
The researchers then analyzed the seven-day physical activity captured by an accelerometer (a device that measures movement), similar to health-related statistics from 2013 to 2015.
The accelerometer has acquired a variety of activities, including walking, jogging, stationary cycling, oval exercises, housework, gardening, and leisure activities such as dancing.
Based on the data, over 42% of participants were classified as weekend warriors, approximately 24% were classified as active regulars and nearly 34% were classified as inactive.
The collected data were assessed for how different physical activity patterns affect all causes, cardiovascular disease and risk of dying from cancer.
The risk of each condition was estimated using the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revised – Medically coding Global System for Cause of Death.
Compared to the inactive group, weekend warriors and active regular groups had a significantly lower risk of death from all causes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer when they completed 150 minutes of physical activity, whether for two days or throughout the week.
Among participants in the active regular group, the risk of death from all causes was 26% lower. The risk of cardiovascular disease death was 24% lower, and the risk of cancer death was 13% lower.
Based on the conclusion, Dr. Li added:
“This study provides encouraging evidence that even sporadic physical activity can provide lasting health benefits, making it easier for people to prioritize their well-being within busy schedules.”
However, despite promising results regarding weekend training, it is important to be aware of potential injury risks, especially if you are not active during the week.
Exercising even twice a week can help strengthen the myocardium. This improves your ability to pump blood efficiently and reduces the chances of developing high blood pressure and high cholesterol levels.
It also prevents the body from developing mental health conditions such as type 2 diabetes, anxiety and depression, arthritis, cancers such as the kidneys, lungs, and stomach.
However, despite promising results for weekend training, it is important to be aware of the potential risk of injuries, especially if you are not active during the week.
Dr. Keith Diaz, a physiologist at Columbia University, was not involved in the study, but warns that weekend warriors may have a slight risk of musculoskeletal damage and that good measures should be put into practice to prevent damage.
He explained in an agency statement:
“Some studies suggest that weekend warriors are at a slightly higher risk of musculoskeletal damage compared to people who exercise more regularly.
“However, the benefits of exercising over the weekend far outweigh the potential risks. If you’re a weekend warrior, do some good warm-ups and advance by stacking up more activities over time.
“This helps reduce the risk of injury.”
