Weekend Warriors: Just as Effective as Regular Gym-Goers in Reducing Disease Risk
So much for a lazy Sunday.
Weekend warriors — people who cram exercise into Saturdays and Sundays — can lower their risk of developing 264 diseases just as well as people who go to the gym throughout the week, a new study finds.
The Benefits of Aerobic Exercise
Aerobic exercise has been shown to lower the risk of stroke, help maintain a healthy weight, keep bones strong and improve mental health, among other benefits.
Weekend Warrior Activity and Disease Risk
For the study, nearly 90,000 UK residents wore wrist accelerometers to track their physical activity and time spent at different exercise intensities over one week.
Participants were divided into three groups — weekend warrior, regular or inactive.
Results of the Study
Weekend warriors lowered their risk of high blood pressure by 23%, while regular gym-goers reduced their risk by 28%, the study found.
Strongest Associations for Cardiometabolic Conditions
The weekend warriors and regular gym-goers had substantially lower risks for over 200 diseases compared to couch potatoes.
The associations were strongest for cardiometabolic conditions such as high blood pressure (23% lower risk for weekend warriors and 28% reduced risk for everyday exercisers) and diabetes (43% and 46% diminished risks, respectively).
Conclusion
The results suggest that weekend warriors and regular gym-goers may have similar benefits in reducing disease risk, and it may be the total volume of activity that matters most.
Additional Tips
According to the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, adults should aim for 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity and two days of muscle strengthening a week.
“We know 150 minutes of physical activity each week sounds like a lot, but you don’t have to do it all at once,” the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says. “It could be 30 minutes a day, five days a week. You can spread your activity out during the week and break it up into smaller chunks of time.”
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Can weekend warriors really reduce their risk of developing 264 diseases?
A: Yes, the study found that weekend warriors can lower their risk of developing 264 diseases just as well as people who go to the gym throughout the week.
Q: What are the benefits of aerobic exercise?
A: Aerobic exercise has been shown to lower the risk of stroke, help maintain a healthy weight, keep bones strong and improve mental health, among other benefits.
Q: What is the total volume of activity that matters most?
A: The study suggests that it may be the total volume of activity that matters most, rather than the pattern of activity.
