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 .
