19 hours ago
- Health
- South China Morning Post
No time for daily exercise? Being a weekend warrior can have the same health benefits
To maintain good health, the World Health Organization recommends regular exercise – 150 to 300 minutes of moderate aerobic physical activity, or 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous aerobic physical activity, or an equivalent combination of the two, throughout the week.
Advertisement
Those too strapped for time or without the energy to exercise several times a week may prefer to exercise intensely at weekends, or two or three times a week.
This 'weekend warrior' pattern of exercise can be just as beneficial for health as exercise that is spread out over the week, a recent study suggests.
Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital, in the United States, wanted to learn if people who exercised 20 to 30 minutes most days of the week experienced greater benefits than those who went five or six days between longer exercise sessions.
They found that concentrating moderate-to-vigorous physical activity in one to two days during the week was associated with a lower risk of developing more than 200 diseases – from cardiovascular and digestive conditions to mental health and neurological illnesses.
I love Bear Camp because it works all your muscles. Over the years, I've become stronger and fitter and developed greater stamina
Kimberly Kwok, Hong Kong mum and businesswoman, on her weekend workouts
And it may be just as effective at decreasing risk as more evenly distributed exercise activity: both weekend warrior and regular physical activity patterns were associated with those substantially lower disease risks.
