If you’re like me, finding time during the work week to exercise is often a struggle. I find most of my exercise is concentrated on the weekends. They question is: if I can’t find the time to exercise daily, is it still beneficial to be a “Weekend Warrior,” and if so, how beneficial is it?
Plus – what are the benefits of exercise? We know it helps you to look and feel better. We also know that exercise helps to reduce the rate of cardiovascular diseases, such as heart attacks and strokes. But did you know that it also helps to prevent cancer?
So, a recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association Internal Medicine addressed these important questions. Almost 64,000 adults were followed prospectively for 18 years. “Adequate” exercise over the weekend was defined as 150 minutes of moderate, or 75 minutes of vigorous activity from 1 or 2 sessions per week.
Here is what they found: Weekend Warriors (WW) achieved essentially all the benefits of Daily Exercisers (DE). Compared with non-exercisers (NE), both WW and DE reduced their risks of death from cardiovascular causes by 40%. Both reduced their risks of death from cancer by 20%. Both reduced their “all-cause” mortality rate by 30 – 35%.
So, don’t fret if you can’t get to the gym every day. There are still great benefits to be had even just from weekend exercise! Read more here: