Exercise-filled weekends may be as helpful as daily regimen

UF Health Podcasts

Exercise. We all know it’s important. We all know it offers benefits for both physical and mental health.
In fact, the Department of Health and Human Services recommends that American adults should get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity each week.
Still, many of us still struggle to find time for exercise in the hustle and bustle of our daily grind. And conventional knowledge has held that for exercise to really be effective, it should be done on a regular schedule, multiple times through the week.
A recent study is bucking the idea that one needs to exercise four to five times per week — or more — to see real benefits.
The study, which analyzed data from nearly 90,000 participants, showed that those who only exercise on weekends reaped similar health benefits as those who exercise more regularly.
Those who only exercised on weekends and those who exercised through the week both were at a lower risk for over 200 diseases compared with their more sedentary peers.
Whether the weekend exercisers packed it all into one day or spread it over two days, if they reached the suggested 150 minutes in total, they got the benefits.
Among exercise’s benefits are lowered risk for cardiometabolic conditions, such as heart attack, stroke and diabetes. Not to mention a lower risk of cancer, depression and high-blood pressure.
So don’t let the idea of a regular exercise routine become a hurdle to achieving good health. No matter how you hit the 150-minute mark of moderate intensity physical activity each week, you’ll be doing your best to stave off 200 diseases.
Weekend warriors, we salute you.