Cramming All Exercise Into Weekend Workouts Almost As Beneficial As Daily Exercise

If you struggle to find the time or motivation to do exercise during the week, don’t panic.

New research suggests cramming all your exercise into the weekend has almost the same health benefits as spreading it evenly throughout the week.

A study of more than 60,000 adults in England and Scotland found that those who complete one or two workouts at the weekend reduce their risk of death almost as much as people who exercise throughout the week.

These so-called “weekend warriors” were also found to have a significantly reduced risk of death from heart disease and cancer when compared to inactive adults.

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The NHS recommends adults complete 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity such as cycling or fast walking every week or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity, such as running.

The study found that adults who met the requirements only though weekend activity saw similar health benefits to those who exercised throughout the week.

The researchers, from Loughborough University and the University of Sydney, followed participants over the course of 18 years.

They found that men and women who exercised throughout the week had a 35% lower risk of death than the inactive adults, with death from heart disease reduced by 41% and death from cancer reduced by 21%.

In comparison, those dubbed “weekend warriors” had a 30% lower risk of death than inactive adults, with 40% lower risk of death by heart disease and an 18% lower risk of death by cancer.

The researchers suggested the types of exercise we do at the weekend compared to the week may be a contributing factor.

“Millions of people in England enjoy running, cycling and sports participation at least once per week,” they said.

“Our weekend warrior participants undertook a large proportion of vigorous-intensity physical activity and quality may be more important than quantity.

“For example, running is a popular vigorous-intensity exercise, and low doses reduce mortality risk. Vigorous-intensity exercise increases cardiorespiratory fitness more than the same amount of moderate-intensity exercise.”

The findings are published in full in the Journal of the American Medical Association: Internal Medicine.

Six People Over 80 Giving Us Serious Fitness Goals

Sister Madonna Buder, 86(01 of06)

Sister Madonna Buder has earned the nickname ‘The Iron Nun’ having completed more than 40 Ironman races in the past 30 years.

She completed her first Ironman race - comprising of a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike and 26.2-mile run - in 1985, aged 65.

At 75, she became the oldest woman to ever complete an Ironman triathlon and at 82, she set a world record as the oldest Ironman triathlon competitor.

She says faith, listening to her body and maintaining a positive attitude to her physical endurance have enabled her to succeed. (credit:Nike)

Diana Green, 82(02 of06)

Not only did Diana Green survive breast cancer, but on her 82nd birthday she ran the 2016 London Marathon to raise money for cancer research.

Speaking to HuffPost UK before the race she said: “The crowds are so wonderful, they really spur you on. I’m excited to be starting in the VIP section and spying some celebs!”

What a hero. (credit:Diana Green)

Robert Marchand, 105(03 of06)

French cyclist Robert Marchand, aged 105, recently set a world record on his bike covering 14.08 miles in one hour.

Afterwards he said he would've beaten his time if he hadn't missed a sign telling him he had 10 minutes left to cycle.

"Otherwise I would have gone faster, I would have posted a better time," he told Associated Press. "I'm not tired." (credit:Jacky Naegelen / Reuters)

Jean Dawson, 100(04 of06)

At 100 years old, Jean Dawson is still a picture of health thanks to over 30 years of dedication to yoga.

She has been bending and twisting her body almost every single week for the past three decades.

“I really enjoy doing yoga," she said. "It has really changed my life and has helped cure aches and pains.

"I use to have trouble from a slipped disc in my back but doing yoga really helped me cope with it.” (credit:Lorne Campbell / Guzelian)

Ella Mae Colbert, 100(05 of06)

In May 2016, Ella Mae Colbert set a new world record for the 100-meter dash, just one week after her 100th birthday.

Colbert has been running track since her school days and despite falling on her first attempt, she smashed the previous record for 100-year-old runners (which was 1 minute 17 seconds) and crossed the finish line in 46.791 seconds. (credit:YouTube / Go Upstate)

Charles Eugster, 97(06 of06)

Dr Charles Eugster is a bodybuilder and sprinter who has set numerous world records in his age group for races ranging from 60 meters to 400 meters.

The 97-year-old, who refers to retirement as "one of the worst things that you can do to yourself", said he got into fitness late on in life.

According to Today.com, he began serious weight training when he was 87 and didn't start running until he turned 95.

"By the time you get to 85 you may have lost about 50 percent of your muscle mass and power, so I think it's extremely important in your older age to do everything you can to build muscle," he added. (credit:Harry Engels via Getty Images)