Monday, November 13, 2023

Are Weekend Warriors Just As Healthy?

The Study

A long-standing debate in the field of exercise science is whether exercising every day is better for your health than just exercising on the weekend. A recent study from England using the UK Biobank cohort put this to the test.

The study included 89,573 subjects who wore an accelerometer for 7 days. The subjects were split into two groups: those that exercised for 150 minutes spread throughout the week and those that exercised for 150 minutes just on 1 or 2 days of the week. The subjects were then followed for cardiovascular events, which included myocardial infarction, stroke and heart failure.

The statistically significant decrease in risk of cardiovascular events did not differ between groups.

JAMA 2023; 330:247.

Take Home Message

This is a really reassuring result for those of us whose jobs make it difficult to exercise during the work week. Do your best to get your cardio in on a daily basis, but if you cannot, you can make up what you miss on the weekend.  This study provides evidence that you won’t be missing out on any of the health benefits.

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