Are You A Weekend Warrior?

Picure from DetailingWiki

My patient and his wife were asking me about my exercise routine and they were surprised when I told them that I still exercise 6 days a week, with one total rest day. 

I'm guessing they do not know about my training routine when I was still competing. They were saying that they found it really difficult to exercise during the weekdays. They ususally only found time on the weekend to exercise.

I told them to fret not as fitting in their exercise on weekends will still reap significant health and survival benefits as well as help their brain health.

Findings from an earlier large study (64,000 subjects) showed that people who pack all of their exercise into 1 or 2 days of the week (often referred to as weekend warriors) appear to lower their risk of dying about as much as people who exercised 3 times a week or more (O' Donovan et al, 2017).

Another recent study (August 2024) showed that a weekend warrior who met physical activity guidelines had similarly lower risks of dementia, stroke, Parkinson's disease, depressive disorders and anxiety compared to a more regular activity pattern (Min et al, 2024). Physical activity guidelines are mor than 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise per week. 

This study by Min et al (2024) included 75, 629 participants. Their findings highlight that this is an alternative for those who are unable to exercise more regularly during the week days. 

Go and be active whenever you can

For those of you are are struggling to fit in any exercise during the week, remember that any activity is worthwhile, even if it is just on the weekend.

References

Min J, Cao Z, Duan T et al (2024). Accelerometer-Derived "Weekend Warrior" Physical Activity pattern And Brain Health. Nat Aging. 4: 1394-1402. DOI: 10.1038/s43587-024-00688-y

O' Donovan G, Lee I, Hamer M et al (2017).Association Of "Weekend Warrior" And Other Time Physical Activity Patterns With Risks For All-cause, Cardiovascular Disease, And Cancer Mortality. JAMA Int Med.177(3): 335-342. DOI: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2016.8014