Fitness: Is it enough to exercise only on the weekend?
Don't have time—or don't feel like—exercising during the week? A study investigated whether it's enough to exercise only on the weekends. The results were surprising.
If you work full-time and also have a social life, perhaps a family, and still want to have some time for yourself, you'll have to make a real effort to find time for exercise. Regular exercise is essential for our health, both mental and physical. The WHO (World Health Organization) recommends that we do at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week, such as walking or yoga, or alternatively, at least 75 minutes of vigorous exercise, such as jogging or HIIT workouts.
Study on sport and life expectancyBut what if we follow this recommendation, but only on the weekend? This is what a research team from the USA investigated . The scientists examined data from more than 350,000 people collected over a period of 16 years. They primarily wanted to know how exercise spread over several days, a few days in a row, or no exercise at all affects our health and life expectancy. To do this, the researchers compared exercise with deaths and causes of death such as diabetes, cancer, or cardiovascular disease.
The study's conclusion: The exact time we exercise is irrelevant to our life expectancy. This means we could easily do the 75 minutes of intense or 150 minutes of moderate exercise only on the weekend—and still not lose any of the overall health benefits.
In other areas, however, the intervals you train in can make a difference. For example, with strength training, it may be advisable not to do a workout on too many consecutive days to give your muscles time to recover.
Only training on the weekend? What you should pay attention toAnother danger of exercising only on the weekend, and then two days in a row, is that we can quickly overdo it. Therefore, always start slowly and don't overdo it right from the start.
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To avoid completely neglecting your fitness during the week, you could also try incorporating small activity windows into your daily routine. Instead of driving, try cycling short distances, for example. Or get off the subway one stop early and go for a short walk. This way, you'll at least get a little moderate exercise during the week, while still having time for more intense workouts on the weekend. But the general rule is: Your health doesn't really care when you exercise.
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