Regarding workout frequency, there are often two sides: people who exercise throughout the week and people who try to squeeze it on over the weekends.
Sue says she does it all week, “Or I’d get too lazy to do it.”
Susan says you should do whatever feels best for you and, “At the moment, daily dance is bringing me great joy.”
And Tony starts every day with 50 jumping jacks.
How about you? Would you rather exercise every day or two — or make it up in just a couple of days?
Well, there’s good news for the Weekend Warriors out there. According to a new study, they may gain the same health benefits as people who spread out their exercise.
The key is to get the recommended amount of 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity per week. People are also urged to get two strength training sessions per week.
The findings were published in the American Heart Association journal Circulation and presented at the German Cardiac Society’s Heart Days conference in Hamburg.
“The bottom line is that it’s the total volume of physical activity, rather than the pattern, that matters,” said Dr. Shaan Khurshid, the study’s co-senior author and a cardiac electrophysiologist at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. “The important thing is that you get your recommended physical activity levels. You’ll still get that benefit if one to two days a week works for you.”
The analysis came from analyzing physical activity levels and disease prevalence for 90,000 people in the United Kingdom, with an average age of 62. Researchers tracked hundreds of diseases, including circulatory, digestive, skin, cancers, mental health disorders, and more.
The participants were broken up into three categories:
- Inactive: Participated in less than the recommended 150 minutes per week of moderate to vigorous physical activity.
- Regularly Active: Participated in 150 minutes or more of moderate to vigorous physical activity per week.
- Weekend Warriors: Participated in 150 minutes or more of moderate to vigorous physical activity per week, with more than half of their activity occurring within 1–2 days.
People who exercised throughout the week had a lower risk of 205 conditions. Weekend Warriors had a lower risk of 264.
“The strongest associations between physical activity and lower disease risk were found among cardiometabolic conditions, including a more than 20% lower risk for high blood pressure, more than 40% lower risk for diabetes and sleep apnea, and a roughly 50% lower risk for obesity,” the American Heart Association said. “There were no significant differences in disease risk reduction between weekend warriors and weeklong exercisers when compared directly.”
This is a great reminder that exercise has countless health benefits. It should also discourage anyone from thinking that fitness requires intense devotion.
You don’t have to live at the gym or even come workout every day.
Of course… we’d love it if you did!
We help men and women over 50 feel better, look better, and age actively- because our life isn’t over as we age; in many ways, it’s just beginning!
Interested in changing your life for the better?
Join our 21-Day Strength and Balance program to rediscover everything you’re still capable of! Sign up here:https://go.ypbtrainingstudio.com/21-day-longevity-and-strength-program.
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