New research provides hope for those who struggle to find time to exercise during the week.
Studies show that condensing your weekly exercise into the weekend can offer significant health benefits, similar to those obtained from a regular exercise regimen.
Benefits of Weekend Workouts
If exercise takes a back seat during the working week, there’s encouraging news. Research indicates that cramming the recommended amount of physical activity into the weekend offers significant health benefits. A study involving nearly 90,000 UK Biobank participants revealed that ‘weekend warriors’, who fit a week’s worth of exercise into one or two days, experienced lower risks of over 200 diseases compared to inactive individuals.
The scientists, who monitored participants’ health over several years, found reduced risks across a wide range of ailments, from hypertension and diabetes to mood disorders and kidney disease. The concentrated exercise sessions favoured by weekend warriors were as efficient in reducing future health risks as regular exercises spread throughout the week, suggesting that the total amount of exercise is more critical than the frequency of workouts.
Research Findings
Dr Shaan Khurshid, a cardiologist at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, led the study and expressed the empowering nature of the findings. He stated that the health benefits are more about the volume of physical activity rather than the pattern. ‘The key is, however you are going to get that volume, do it in the way that works for you’.
The NHS recommends 150 minutes of moderate exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise per week to stay healthy. Even one or two sessions each week can significantly reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke. As a guideline, the boundary between moderate and vigorous exercise is when it becomes challenging to speak in complete sentences while exercising.
Analysing the Data
The study, published in Circulation, detailed the analysis of health records from 89,573 UK Biobank volunteers. Volunteers wore wrist devices to measure their exercise patterns for a week. Those achieving at least 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise were categorized as regular exercisers if their activity was spread out or as weekend warriors if concentrated into one or two days. Participants who did less than 150 minutes weekly were classified as inactive.
Following the exercise monitoring, weekend warriors had a lower risk of 264 medical conditions compared to inactive individuals. Regular exercisers saw similar benefits.
The most substantial effects were observed in cardiometabolic disorders. Compared to inactive participants, the risk of hypertension was over 20% lower in both weekend warriors and regular exercisers, while the risk of diabetes was reduced by more than 40%.
Supporting Evidence
Previous studies have echoed these findings. In 2017, Gary O’Donovan, a physical activity researcher found that both weekend warriors and regular exercisers meeting physical activity targets had a lower likelihood of death from cancer or cardiovascular conditions compared to sedentary individuals.
An additional study in 2022 supported these benefits.
A common question in such observational studies is whether exercise directly prevents disease or if inherently healthier individuals, who are less likely to develop diseases, tend to exercise more. It’s likely both factors play a role.
Further Research
The researchers attempted to mitigate this by excluding participants who developed medical conditions within two years of the exercise monitoring.
Dr Khurshid emphasised that more research is needed to ascertain if concentrated exercise sessions could help individuals achieve physical activity targets more easily. ‘It might be more convenient for some people, potentially increasing compliance with public health interventions’.
Dr Leandro Rezende, from the Federal University of São Paulo, who led a 2022 study, noted: ‘These findings confirm that total volume matters most, regardless of the weekly frequency.’ This is promising for those striving to meet the World Health Organization guidelines with limited weekly availability. However, for individuals already meeting these guidelines, increasing the frequency of exercise could further enhance the total volume of physical activity and thus offer additional health benefits.
Public Health Implications
These insights have significant implications for public health recommendations. If the total volume of physical activity holds greater importance than the frequency, as suggested by these findings, public health guidelines might be tailored to accommodate various lifestyles more effectively.
It’s crucial to encourage physical activity in any form, as it remains a cornerstone for maintaining health and preventing diseases.
Whether through concentrated weekend workouts or regular sessions throughout the week, achieving the recommended levels of physical activity is vital.
Conclusion
In conclusion, ‘weekend warrior’ workouts can be as effective as daily exercise, providing considerable health benefits.
The key takeaway is that the volume of exercise is more important than the pattern, allowing individuals flexibility in their exercise routines.
Whether you prefer daily workouts or cramming exercise into the weekends, the total amount of physical activity is what truly matters.
Adapting exercise routines to fit individual lifestyles can help people achieve and maintain better health.
