The World Health Organization (WHO), among other health agencies, recommends 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise or 75 minutes of high-intensity activity per week for adults. Those with bust lifestyles struggle to achieve this. Some, so-called ‘weekend warriors’, manage to fit in more intensive bursts of energy at the weekend.
Looking into how effective weekend monitoring is, a new study has looked into the benefits of short bursts of exercise during the working week, in relation to both men and women. The outcome is encouraging, with the findings suggesting that those who exercise at the weekend have a lower risk of death from cancer and cardiovascular disease. This is compared with individuals who do not partake in any physical activity.
Data related to the U.K. and it was drawn from the Health Survey for England, as well as from the Scottish Health Survey. In all some 63,591 adults were reviewed (a 45:55 ratio men to women). The focus was on older people, with a median age of 59 years. The levels of physical activity were self-reported. The researchers then grouped the responses into:
Inactive’ (no moderate- or vigorous-intensity exercise);
Insufficiently active (less than the recommended minutes of activity);
Weekend warrior (reported 150 minutes of moderate exercise or 75 minutes of high-intensity exercise per week, from one or two sessions);
Regularly active (reported meeting the recommended activity levels over three or more sessions per week).
The so-called weekend warriors had a 30 percent lower risk of all-cause mortality.
Discussing the findings, lead investigator Dr. Emmanuel Stamatakis said: “It is very encouraging news that being physically active on just one or two occasions per week is associated with a lower risk of death, even among people who do some activity but don’t quite meet recommended exercise levels.”
She then added: “However, for optimal health benefits from physical activity it is always advisable to meet and exceed the physical activity recommendations.”
The findings are published JAMA Internal Medicine. The research is titled “Association of “Weekend Warrior” and Other Leisure Time Physical Activity Patterns With Risks for All-Cause, Cardiovascular Disease, and Cancer Mortality.”
