Juggling work and a social life while staying healthy often seems impossible.
But new research suggests that incorporating just one workout per week could have just as many benefits as hitting the gym every day.
Chinese researchers say that “weekend exercisers” – those who exercise intensely just one or two days a week – experience mood-boosting effects as well.
Scientists following more than 75,000 Britons found that those who exercised were 28% less likely to suffer from anxiety or depression compared to those who didn’t.
Weekend sport participants also had a reduced risk of dementia by almost a quarter (23%).
Scientists following more than 75,000 Britons found that they were 28% less likely to suffer from anxiety or depression than inactive people. Those who exercised on weekends also had a nearly quarter (23%) reduced risk of dementia.
The researchers said the findings suggest that brief, intense exercise could be a “potential alternative preventive intervention strategy”.
Experts from Hangzhou Normal University analysed data from 75,629 participants, with an average age of 62, who were wearing digital wristwatch-style devices similar to the Apple Watch or Fitbit.
Nearly a third (32.2%) were considered inactive, of which 28.2% were classified as regular exercisers and 39.6% as weekend exercisers.
The latter targeted people who exercised for at least about 150 minutes per week, with at least 50 percent of that time occurring within two days.
Over an average follow-up period of eight years, 530 people were diagnosed with dementia, 1,468 with stroke, 319 with Parkinson’s disease, 1,507 with depression, and 1,794 with anxiety disorders.
The scientists also found that people who exercise on weekends have a 13% lower risk of stroke and almost half (49%) of Parkinson’s disease compared to sedentary people.
Write a diary Natural aging“Following a weekend warrior pattern of intense, moderate-to-vigorous high-volume physical activity over one or two days is associated with a similar reduction in brain disease risk as a regularly active pattern,” the scientists said.
However, the researchers acknowledged that the study had “several limitations”, such as only including participants aged 43 to 79.
“Caution should be exercised in generalizing these findings to people outside of specific age groups, such as those aged 80 years or older,” the researchers said.
It added that wrist-worn devices “may not fully capture certain activities, such as stationary biking, which can lead to inaccuracies.”
Physical activity levels may also change with age, and the study did not take into account changing patterns over the volunteers’ lifespan.
The World Health Organization (WHO) also recommends that adults do at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity, or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity physical activity, per week.
It is estimated that thousands of Britons die every year as a result of sedentary lifestyles, with many spending their working days sitting at a desk and then sitting in front of the TV on the train or in the car on the way home.
One 2019 estimate put the number of deaths per year at 70,000, and health problems cost the NHS £700 million a year to treat.
A 2018 study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimated that nearly one in ten (8.3%) deaths among American adults are due to physical inactivity.
The WHO estimates that physical inactivity causes around 2 million deaths per year worldwide, making it likely to become one of the top 10 causes of death and disability worldwide.
Physical inactivity has long been linked to health problems such as cardiovascular disease and contributes to other health issues such as obesity, which is itself associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes and some cancers.
Cardiovascular disease is usually associated with the buildup of fatty deposits in the arteries, which can cause dangerous blockages and lead to heart attacks and strokes.
Stroke is considered the leading cause of death and disability in the UK, killing around 38,000 people each year and leaving many more disabled.
According to the CDC, an estimated 160,000 people die from strokes each year in the United States, and one American suffers a stroke every 40 seconds.
