We get it. Life can get super busy. It’s hard to find the time to work out every day, so weekends are the only time you can fit in some exercise - right?
Well, that’s not a problem because a new study suggests that getting our weekend sweat on boosts health just as much as a daily workout.
I know it seems too good to be true, but research found people who get all of their exercise in one or two sessions on the weekend lower their risk of diseases just as much as those who exercise daily.
Both exercising types are said to be less susceptible to cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes.
Researchers who wrote in JAMA Internal Medicine found the results were similar for all illnesses once the team accounted for the total amount of exercise. For those aged 18 to 64, experts recommend at least 150 minutes of moderate activity or 75 minutes of intense exercise each week.
So if we do the math, you could meet this goal with a brisk 30-minute walk five days a week or an hour-and-15-minute jog once a week.
The findings on more than 350,000 adults in the U.S. followed for just over a decade, on average. Out of almost 22,000 deaths, there were 8% fewer deaths among weekend warriors and 15% fewer among those who are regularly active.
Authors of the study wrote: “We found that weekend warrior and regularly active participants had similar all-cause and cause-specific mortality, suggesting that when performing the same amount of physical activity, spreading it over more days or concentrating it into fewer days may not influence mortality outcomes.”
From the overall outcome of the study, researchers did not find any significant difference between the two workout patterns.
“Adults who perform 150 minutes or more of moderate to vigorous physical activity (or 75 minutes of vigorous activity) per week may experience similar health benefits whether the sessions are spread throughout the week or concentrated on a weekend.”
So, there's no need to feel guilty for not hitting the gym during the week, I think we all know that the never-ending list of house chores breaks enough of a sweat to last us till the weekend.
