 "Do you exercise only on the weekend? Is that enough?")
It’s no secret that exercise is essential for health and well-being.
Whether it be a regular or intense weekend workout, the benefits are quite similar, according to new research.
Both workout routines were found to reduce risks across the full spectrum of human disease, including hypertension, diabetes, mood disorders and kidney disease.
Let’s take a closer look.
The study
Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital in the US examined whether the “weekend warrior” approach, which involves doing one or two days of intense to moderate activity each week, had the same health benefits as daily exercise.
The researchers investigated the relationship between physical activity patterns and the risk of 678 disorders spanning 16 different types of diseases by analysing data from nearly 90,000 participants in the UK Biobank study.
Over the course of a week, the volunteer exercisers’ overall physical activity and level of exercise intensity were monitored via wrist accelerometers.
They were split into three groups based on whether they met the advised weekly exercise standards of 150 minutes.
The first group, dubbed “weekend warriors,” met the 150-minute target by focusing most or all of their exercise onto one or two days, such as during the weekend. The second group, known as “regular exercisers,” not only met the goal activity level but also distributed their physical activity more uniformly throughout the week. The third group, known as “inactive,” was made up of people who did not exercise to the prescribed amount.
Regular = weekend warriors
According to a study published in the journal Circulation, those who exercise more intensely on the weekends could benefit from their health in a way that is equal to that of people who exercise more regularly and evenly throughout the week.
Impact Shorts
More Shorts“Physical activity is known to affect risk of many diseases,” Dr Shaan Khurshid, the study’s co-senior author and a cardiologist at Massachusetts General Hospital, said in a statement.
The results of the study showed that both exercise routines were linked to a decreased risk of over 200 different diseases, with the greatest effects noted in the case of cardiometabolic disorders including diabetes and hypertension.
More specifically, the “weekend warrior” activity routine reduced the risk of hypertension by 23 per cent, while regular exercisers saw a reduction of 28 per cent.
Weekend exercisers had a 43 per cent lower risk of diabetes, whereas regular exercisers saw a 46 per cent lower risk.
According to an analysis, people who exercised frequently during the week had a 28 per cent lower risk of high blood pressure, compared to people who only worked out on the weekends, who had a 23 per cent lower risk.
All disease categories examined, including conditions like mood disorders and chronic kidney disease, likewise showed the advantages of both exercise regimens.
The latest research is a follow-up to a separate study carried out by MGH researchers last year, which discovered that both workout regimens were linked to similar cardiovascular advantages, such as a decreased risk of heart attacks, heart failure, irregular heartbeats, and stroke.
“Because there appears to be similar benefits for weekend warrior versus regular activity, it may be the total volume of activity, rather than the pattern, that matters most,” Khurshid said.
“Future interventions testing the effectiveness of concentrated activity to improve public health are warranted, and patients should be encouraged to engage in guideline-adherent physical activity using any pattern that may work best for them,” he added.
The level of exercise
For optimal health, UK-based National Health Service suggests 150 minutes of moderate exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise per week. Just one or two sessions per week can significantly lower the risk of heart disease and stroke.
To put it simply, the point at which it becomes too difficult to complete spoken phrases during exercise is the boundary between moderate and vigorous activity.
According to the World Heart Federation, inactivity ranks fourth globally in terms of risk factors for death, accounting for around 3.2 million deaths annually. Thus, it is essential to squeeze weekly steps, reps, and swear even if its just one or two sessions.
“Physical exercise improves our overall mental well-being by boosting energy and mood and combating stress, anxiety, and depression. This will in turn have great benefits on your overall health as well including better sleep, and nutrition habits,” states LaReina Tipping, MSW, Program Manager, Brain Center of Green Bay, according to VeryWellMind.
With inputs from agencies
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