New research shows that people who start exercising as “weekend warriors” after just a few days experience the same benefits as those who exercise every day.
The study was published Sept. 26 in the journal circulation — analyzed around 90,000 people in the UK who wore accelerometers to track their movement patterns over a week.
Those who engaged in less than 150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous activity per week were classified as inactive. Those who exercised regularly performed 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise evenly distributed throughout the week. Weekend warriors were similar, but their 150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous activity was crammed into just one or two days.
of world health organization recommends “at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per week.”
Researchers found that for several years after wearing the monitor, weekend warriors had a lower risk of 264 medical conditions compared to people classified as inactive. Similar results were seen in people who exercised regularly. The strongest associations were with cardiometabolic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, obesity, and sleep apnea.
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“I think this is empowering,” said study author Dr. Shaan Khurshid, a cardiologist at Massachusetts General Hospital. guardian. “It turns out that when it comes to health benefits, it’s really the quantity, not the pattern, of physical activity that matters. The key is to do it in a way that works for you, no matter how much volume you gain. ”
“These findings provide encouraging insights for people looking to adopt a more active lifestyle,” said Dr. Rigved Tadwarkar, a cardiologist at Providence St. John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, California. said the author, who was not involved in the study. Today’s medical news.
“While it’s still beneficial to exercise regularly and evenly, this study shows that even people who find it difficult to exercise every day can still reap the health benefits of exercising just a few days a week. ,” Tadwarkar added.
