- Those who exercise on weekends can get the same health benefits as regular exercisers if they time it right, new research shows.
- Time Needed: 75 minutes of vigorous activity or 150 minutes of moderate activity on one or two days each week.
- “Weekend warriors” had the same risk of death as those who worked the same amount of time 3-5 days a week.
Just because you don’t regularly exercise during the week doesn’t mean you can’t do it on the weekends.
The World Health Organization provides guidelines for physical activity, which means that adults should do at least 75 minutes of physical activity or 150 minutes of physical activity every week. Although experts say that people spread regular exercise throughout the week, this is not always possible for everyone.
An international team of researchers analyzed the physical activity and health patterns of 350,000 US adults who participated in the National Health Interview Survey from 1997-2013 to see what can be learned about different forms of physical activity.
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The benefits of exercising on the weekend
Over the years the subjects were followed – each was followed for about 10 years – those who achieved 75 minutes of vigorous activity or 150 minutes of moderate activity on one or two days each week were:
►8% lower risk of all-cause mortality than frailty.
►Same risk of death from all causes, heart disease and cancer as those who did the same amount of exercise but three to five days.
Those who exercised regularly during the week had a lower risk of dying than the “weekend warriors,” as the researchers called them. “But the difference was not significant, so we can say it’s beneficial,” one of the study’s co-authors Donghoon Lee, a nutrition research assistant at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, told USA TODAY.
How many Americans can benefit from exercise?
About 23% of US adults regularly get 75 minutes of physical activity or 150 minutes of physical activity each week according to America’s Health Rankings.
Here’s how to make time for exercise
If you can’t exercise regularly (3-5 days a week), you can still get health benefits from exercising for 75 to 150 minutes a day or two, such as on the weekends. Although researchers focused on “weekend warriors,” Lee said, “they can be any day (or two days) of the week.”
Finding time to exercise on the weekends is a great way to increase your activity, says Amanda Paluch, an exercise pathologist and biologist at the University of Massachusetts Amherst School of Public Health & Health Sciences. “There’s a lot of evidence that doing something is better than doing nothing in terms of health,” he told USA TODAY.
Exercising on the weekends “may be the first step toward good health,” said Paluch, who was not involved in the study, but is familiar with the findings.
How can you tell if I’m doing moderate or vigorous exercise?
Vigorous exercise and physical activity lead to increased sweating and significant increases in breathing and heart rate, Lee said. CDC examples of vigorous exercise include swimming, running and jogging, tennis (singles), aerobic dance, and cycling 10 mph or faster. Vigorous exercise raises the heart rate to about 142 beats per minute or more, the CDC says.
Moderate exercise includes walking (at least 3 mph), cycling (less than 10 mph), ballroom dancing and tennis (twice). Moderate exercise will result in a heart rate of about 109 or higher.
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What can help me with a new exercise plan?
►Create something you love. “Weekends should be fun and there are so many ways to be active and have fun – find a new trail with a friend, go for a bike ride, hang out with your friends at a game of tennis,” Paluch said.
►Try something new. While the activities you already enjoy are great, there’s always something exciting about “a new activity you’ve never done before,” he said.
►Don’t overdo it at first. “If you’re just starting out, don’t try to fit in 150 minutes of aerobic exercise in one weekend,” Paluch said. Try it for just 20 minutes every day and try not to get injured.
If I exercise regularly, does that mean I can stop?
Not really. “It’s also important to note that this study is looking at death as an outcome,” Paluch said. “We know very little about the benefits of an average of two days a week vs.
For example, more research will need to be done to compare blood pressure, blood sugar, weight or mental health of regular exercisers and “weekend warriors,” he said.
Regular exercisers who are active more than two days a week should continue. “Having a regular schedule can help maintain good habits,” Paluch said. “Exercise regularly can also prevent injury and maintain or improve your health in a positive way.”
Follow Mike Snider on Twitter: @mikesnider.
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