You don’t need to exercise every day to stay healthy: Do THIS instead |

We get it. Life in the modern age can be hectic – demanding careers, family responsibilities, and personal ambitions, leave little room for daily workouts. Exercise is crucial for our overall health. But how do you squeeze everyday exercise into your already packed schedule? Well, what if you don’t have to exercise every day? Sounds like a dream, right? Not really, it’s possible. New research shows that ‘weekend warriors’ can reap equal benefits as the ones who exercise daily.
New research published in the Journal of the American Heart Association shows that being physically active for one to two days a week has similar health and longevity benefits as daily exercise, as long as the total effort reaches 150 minutes per week at a moderate to vigorous intensity.

“You don’t need to exercise every day to stay healthy. As long as you get 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity per week, whether packed into one to two days or spread out, you can significantly reduce your risk of dying from cardiovascular disease, cancer or other causes,” corresponding author of the study Dr. Zhi-Hao Li, an epidemiologist in the School of Public Health at Southern Medical University in Guangzhou, China said in a statement.

“This message is encouraging news for busy people who struggle to fit in daily workouts but can manage a concentrated burst of activity on weekends or over a couple of days. The research provides reassuring evidence that even sporadic physical activity can have lasting health benefits, making it easier for people to prioritize their well-being amid busy schedules,” Dr. Li said.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends adults to get at least 150– 300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity, or at least 75–150 minutes of vigorousintensity aerobic physical activity, or an equivalent combination of moderate- and vigorous-intensity activity throughout the week, for substantial health benefits.
To understand the impact of exercise, the researcher examined health and physical activity data for more than 93,000 people. They also looked at how different physical activity patterns may affect the risk of dying from all causes, specifically cardiovascular disease and cancer.
They categorized the data into three groups:

The study showed that the participants in the weekend warrior and active regular groups had a significantly lower risk of death from all causes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer if they completed 150 minutes of physical activity a week, compared to the inactive group.

The weekend warriors have a 32% reduced risk of death, 31% reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and 21% lower risk of cancer death. The participants in the active group had a 26% lower risk of death, 24% reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and 13% lower risk of death from cancer. The researchers were surprised to find that there was no significant differences in the risk of death between the weekend warrior vs. the active regular group.

“This reinforces the idea that meeting the 150-minutes of physical activity per week guideline is key to longevity, regardless of the activity pattern. Any activity, whether structured exercise such as jogging or daily tasks such as gardening can be included if the intensity is moderate to vigorous,” Li said.
“Many people struggle to fit in daily exercise during the workweek; however, this research shows that even if you can only be active on the weekends, you can still gain meaningful health benefits,” Keith Diaz, American Heart Association expert volunteer and a member of the Association’s Physical Activity Science Committee noted.

“One important caveat to remember is that trying to fit 150 minutes of exercise into just one or two days can be a lot on your body. Some research suggests that weekend warriors have a slightly higher risk of musculoskeletal injuries compared to those who exercise more regularly. However, the benefits of exercising just on the weekend far outweigh the potential risks. If you are going to be a weekend warrior, make sure you do proper warm-ups and build up and progress to higher volumes of activity over time. This will help to reduce your risk of injuries,” he said.