You don’t have to hit the gym every day to stay healthy. That’s the message from a new study that finds that one or two days of exercise, also called the “weekend warrior” routine, may be just as effective as doing it everyday. 

“You don’t need to exercise every day to stay healthy,” said Dr Zhi-Hao Li, an epidemiologist at Southern Medical University in Guangzhou, China, and the study’s lead author, as quoted in a report by the American Heart Association. “As long as you get 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity per week — whether packed into one to two days or spread out — you can significantly reduce your risk of dying from cardiovascular disease, cancer or other causes.”

The study, published Wednesday in the Journal of the American Heart Association, tracked more than 93,000 participants in the UK over several years. All wore wrist accelerometers, which researchers say provided a more accurate picture of their physical activity than self-reported data.

The findings surprised even the researchers.

“We expected people who were active throughout the week to show better results,” Dr Li said. “But the weekend warriors did just as well, if not slightly better, in some cases. This reinforces the idea that total weekly activity is what matters most — not how you spread it.”

Benefits of Weekend Warrior routine

According to the data, people who got their 150 minutes of exercise in over one or two days had a 32% lower risk of death from all causes, a 31% lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease, and a 21% lower risk of death from cancer — compared to people who didn’t exercise or didn’t meet this activity threshold at all.

Those who exercised more regularly through the week saw slightly smaller but still significant benefits: 26% lower risk of death from all causes, 24% from cardiovascular disease, and 13% from cancer.

Keith Diaz, PhD, a behavioral medicine expert at Columbia University and also an American Heart Association expert volunteer also emphasized the total volume of the activity rather than how it is spread through the week. 

“Many people struggle to fit in daily exercise during the workweek; however, this research shows that even if you can only be active on the weekends, you can still gain meaningful health benefits,” Diaz, who was not involved in the study, told American Heart Association.

Weekend fix

The World Health Organization and the American Heart Association recommend adults engage in 150 to 300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity, or 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous activity, every week. What this study shows is that you don’t have to break it down daily — and that’s good news for people with hectic schedules.

“This message is encouraging news for busy people who struggle to fit in daily workouts but can manage a concentrated burst of activity on weekends or over a couple of days,” Li is quoted to have said further. “The research provides reassuring evidence that even sporadic physical activity can have lasting health benefits, making it easier for people to prioritize their well-being amid busy schedules.”

Li added that the study “reinforces the idea that meeting the 150-minutes of physical activity per week guideline is key to longevity, regardless of the activity pattern.”

 “Any activity — whether structured exercise such as jogging or daily tasks such as gardening — can be included if the intensity is moderate to vigorous,” he told the American Heart Association.

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