People who only exercise at the weekend, but still get the recommended weekly amount of 150 minutes, appear to receive the same health benefits as those who complete the recommended amount across the entire week.
This claim is based on findings by Loughborough University, which saw data from 63,591 adults aged 40 and older, recorded between 1994 and 2012, analysed by a team of researchers. Each of these adults had filled out a Health Survey for England or Scottish Health Survey.
The team found that ‘weekend warriors’ had a similar reduced risk of developing health conditions such as cardiovascular heart disease (CVD) and cancer as those who spread their physical activity out across the entire week. This suggests that it does not matter when you exercise during the week, just that you complete the recommended amount.
Rather unsurprisingly, the weekend warriors had a lower risk of death from these health problems than inactive adults did.
At the time of writing, the government recommends everyone aged between 19 and 64 years performs at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise each week, or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity exercise.
Health experts stress that even a small amount of physical activity can boost your health, with a group defined as “insufficiently active” reducing their risk of developing CVD or cancer by 37 per cent and 14 per cent respectively, compared to those who are inactive. However, it is also imperative to adhere to a healthy diet for maximum benefits.
The findings were published in JAMA Internal Medicine.
