Weekend warriors ― people who cram all their weekly recommended exercise into one or two days―reap the same health benefits as those who work out daily. The US study published in the journal Circulation found people who met the recommended 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity per week had a lower risk of developing 264 diseases, regardless of whether they exercised over a short period of time or spread it out over the week.
Researchers analysed data on 89,573 participants, average age 62, who wore wrist devices that recorded their total physical activity over a week. Participants were categorised as weekend warriors, regular or inactive, based on their exercise patterns.
Their health records were examined for the incidence of 678 conditions across 16 types of diseases including circulatory, digestive, skin, endocrine/metabolic, kidney, infectious, musculoskeletal and neurological diseases, along with cancers, mental health disorders and injuries.
During a median follow up of 6.3 years, both weekend warriors and regulars were associated with lower risks for over 200 diseases compared with the inactive group. The link was the strongest for cardio-metabolic conditions like hypertension, obesity, diabetes and sleep apnoea. There were no significant differences between the risk reductions when weekend warriors and regulars were compared.
“Because there appears to be similar benefits..., it may be the total volume of activity, rather than the pattern, that matters most,”the study said. “Patients should be encouraged to engage in guideline-adherent physical activity using any pattern that may work best for them."