A “weekend warrior” workout pattern can protect a person’s brain health People who got one or two workouts a week had a lower risk of mild cognitive impairment People who worked out more often also had lower risk WEDNESDAY, Oct. 30, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- Find it hard to take time to exercise during your busy workweek? No problem, a new study says -- one or two “weekend warrior” workouts are just as likely to help you maintain your brain health. People who regularly , whether solely on the weekend or throughout the week, are more likely to stay sharp as they age compared to people who never work out, researchers found.
About 13% of cases of mild cognitive impairment might be avoided if all middle-aged adults exercised at least once or twice a week, researchers estimated. “This study is important because it suggests that even busy people can gain cognitive health benefits from taking part in one or two sessions of sport and exercise per week,” concluded the research team led by , an adjunct professor of sport science with Los Andes University in Bogota, Colombia. For the study, researchers analyzed data from more than 10,000 people in Mexico City.
All participants were asked how often they worked out or played sports, and they also took part in a cognitive function test. Weekend warriors worked out once or twice a week, while regularly active people said they exercised three or more times a week. During an average follow-up period of 16 years, about 26% of the .