Exercising on the Weekends Only Is Still Good

Study Reveals How Exercising Only on the Weekends Affects the Human Body

Exercise is good for your health: everyone knows that. But fitting exercise into your life can be easier said than done. Children, jobs, housekeeping, friendships—they all take time. Exercise can become an afterthought. But some reassuring news was recently shared in Nature Aging. A team of researchers studied thousands of subjects across the United Kingdom, discovering that “weekend warriors” who exercise only a couple of days in a row each week still benefit significantly from these exercise spurts. So even if you only get a chance to hit the gym, walk the neighborhood sidewalks, or play actively with the kids on the weekends, rest assured it does you good.

A team of Chinese researchers used the UK’s extensive data resource, the UK Biobank. They analyzed data from 75,000 subjects, tracking them for an average of just over eight years. All sorts of health data was compared, including death rates. Some of the subjects were inactive, not hitting the goal of 150 minutes of exercise (moderate or medium) a week. Others spread their exercise across the week in regular bursts. Meanwhile, the relatable weekend warriors, exercised in spurts of a couple days in a row, but not the rest of the week.

The researchers analyzed their data to account for variations in sex, substance use history, and pre-existing conditions like diabetes. The 24,300 inactive subjects saw negative health comparisons in relation to their better exercised peers. The 30,000 weekend warriors studied, however, had similar health results to their regularly active peers. They clocked a 26% lower risk for dementia, a 21% lower risk of suffering a stroke, as well as a 45% lower risk of being diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. These protective effects were especially prevalent in those over 65, suggesting exercise's critical role in healthy aging. Depression and anxiety rates were 40% and 37% lower.

And for clarification, “weekend warriors” don’t need to exercise on the technical weekend; any couple of consecutive days in the week will do. Similarly, activities beyond the gym have excellent health benefits too. Raising the heart rate in whatever way appeals to you is beneficial. The important part is getting the muscles moving and the blood flowing. While the study does not eliminate all other possible causes which may influence outcomes, it does suggest that getting moving—any way you can, any day you can—is best.