Lauren Dempsey, MS in Biomedicine and Law, RN, FISM News
New research published this week in JAMA Internal Medicine suggests that working out on the weekends is just as effective as working out during the week.
The authors of the study wanted to evaluate if the number of weekly workouts had an impact on overall mortality. They evaluated 350,978 adults in the United States, splitting the two groups into “weekend warriors” and “regularly active” individuals.
This nationwide study was based on individuals that self-reported exercise to the National Health Interview Survey which took place between 1997 and 2013.
The research results showed that there were not “any significant difference in mortality rates between weekend warriors and regularly active participants.” These two groups had “lower all-cause and cause-specific mortality rates” when compared with individuals that were physically inactive.
Researchers found that people who exercise for 75 minutes of vigorous activity or 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity each week have similar health benefits. It doesn’t matter if the exercise sessions are spread out or concentrated.
The study found that regularly active participants were younger and more likely to be men, they were also leaner, non-smokers, and were found to have a higher education level and income, lower comorbidity scores, and self-rated their health as excellent or very good. Weekend warriors were also more likely to be younger, were more likely to be men, current smokers, were overweight or obese, and had lower education levels and lower income when compared with regularly active participants.
Over the 10.4 years that the participants were followed, 4,130 people died of cardiovascular disease and 6,034 from cancer, which are two of the leading causes of death in America. According to the authors these findings “reinforce the importance of reaching the recommended levels of physical activity for health” and indicate that these findings are important “for people with fewer opportunities for daily or regular physical activity during their work week.”
A 2018 study that evaluated data from the CDC found that there has been an overall increase in chronic disease, including heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and kidney disease. The study also found that “chronic diseases are responsible for seven out of 10 deaths in the U.S., killing more than 1.7 million Americans each year; and more than 75% of the $2 trillion spent on public and private healthcare in 2005 went toward chronic diseases.” Many of these conditions are linked to sedentary lifestyles and other factors like diet and use of tobacco and alcohol.
According to the CDC, 53.3% of adults meet the recommended level of physical activity and just 23.2% of adults meet the recommended level of physical activity and muscle strengthening activities.
There are many known benefits of regular physical activity on both physical and mental health. According to the National Library of Medicine, it is important to get 75 to 150 minutes of physical activity each week along with strengthening activities like lifting weights. Exercise is important for cardiac health, weight control, reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes, reduces stress and risk of depression, improves brain function, and can reduce your risk of some cancers.