If you have a hard time squeezing exercise in every day, a recent study might offer some reassurance: “Weekend warriors” may reap the same health rewards as people who exercise more consistently.
The study, of nearly 90,000 adults, found that as long as people were getting the recommended amount of weekly exercise, it didn’t matter whether they spread it out over seven days or crammed it all into two: On average, their risks for many different health conditions were trimmed, versus people who were inactive.
Experts have long recommended that adults get at least 150 minutes of moderate physical activity (such as brisk walking) or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise (like jogging) every week in order to boost their cardiovascular health and lower their risks of various chronic diseases. But it hasn’t been clear whether there’s an optimal way to dole those minutes out: Is it better to get some exercise every day, or can you pack it all into one or two days a week? The latest research, published in the journal Circulation, suggests both approaches can work.
The findings are based on data from the UK Biobank, a huge research project gathering medical information from volunteers in the United Kingdom. Researchers focused on 89,573 participants (average age, 62) who spent one week wearing wrist monitors that recorded their physical activity. It turned out that much of the group—42 percent—fell into the weekend warrior pattern: They got at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise for the week but fit most of it into one or two days. Another 24 percent also got the recommended amount of exercise but were more consistently active throughout the week. The remaining 34 percent of participants were dubbed the “inactive” group; they typically managed only 72 minutes of moderate physical activity for the week.
Over the next six years, the study found, both of the physically active groups were less likely to be diagnosed with any of a long list of health problems, compared to their inactive peers. The biggest differences were seen in the risks of certain cardiovascular and metabolic conditions: Physically active people were anywhere from 23 to 56 percent less likely to develop diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, or sleep apnea.
Importantly, those health benefits were similar for weekend warriors and regular exercisers alike. Their odds of developing diabetes, for example, were reduced by 43 percent and 46 percent, respectively.
According to the researchers, the takeaway is pretty straightforward: When it comes to curbing disease risks, it’s probably the total amount of weekly exercise that matters most, and people can choose the schedule that works for them.
The study does have some limitations. First, it can’t prove that active participants’ exercise habits directly lowered their disease risks. An alternative explanation is that healthier people found it easier to be active. The researchers did try to account for that possibility, however: They factored in participants’ preexisting health conditions at the study’s outset, as well as some other advantages the physically active participants may have had (like higher education levels or incomes). Even then, physical activity itself—whether daily or weekend warrior–style—was tied to lower disease risks.
Another limitation: Although the UK Biobank study is large, nearly all participants are white, and on average, they’re healthier than the population norm for their age. So it’s not clear whether the study findings would apply to everyone in the diverse real world. Physical activity might, for example, have a smaller impact on disease risks among people who aren’t as healthy.
Those caveats aside, the findings are in line with what studies have shown time and again: People who get at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week typically have lower disease risks than less-active people do. These latest results now suggest that you can schedule your active time in a way that fits into your life and preferences: If daily exercise doesn’t work for you, get moving on the days that you can.
