Weekend exercise spree ‘can protect against more than 200 health conditions’

Weekend warriors enjoy the same benefits as those who spread their exercise throughout the week, scientists have found.

Weekend exercise may help protect against more than 200 diseases, scientists say (Brian Lawless/PA) (PA Archive)

Exercising only at the weekends is enough to lower the risk of developing more than 200 health conditions, from heart disease and mood disorders to kidney issues and obesity, scientists say.

A study of nearly 90,000 adults in the UK found people who cram all their workouts at the weekend – known as weekend warriors – enjoy the same benefits as those who spread their exercise throughout the week.

The team said its findings, published in the journal Circulation, show the total amount of exercise – or getting the recommended 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity per week – matters more than following an even pattern of physical activity.

Dr Shaan Khurshid, a faculty member in the Demoulas Centre for Cardiac Arrhythmias at Massachusetts General Hospital in the US, said: “Physical activity is known to affect risk of many diseases.

It may be the total volume of activity, rather than the pattern, that matters most

Dr Shaan Khurshid

“Here, we show the potential benefits of weekend warrior activity for risk not only of cardiovascular diseases, as we’ve shown in the past, but also future diseases spanning the whole spectrum, ranging from conditions like chronic kidney disease to mood disorders and beyond.”

The NHS guidelines recommend 150 minutes of moderate exercise, such as brisk walking or riding a bike, or 75 minutes of vigorous activity, such as running or hill cycling, per week.

It says adults should aim to spread exercise evenly over four to five days a week, or every day.

Being inactive is associated with one in six deaths in the UK and is estimated to cost the UK £7.4 billion annually, according to Government figures.

But busy weekdays mean some people are only able to exercise one or two days a week.

To find out if weekend workouts are as beneficial as regular exercise during the week, the researchers looked at data from 89,573 people from the UK Biobank, a database which holds medical and lifestyle records of more than half a million Britons.

Those taking part wore activity trackers and were classed as weekend warrior, regular or inactive, based on their weekly movement.

The team said that compared to no exercise, cramming workouts in one to two days or being active throughout the week were both associated with “substantially lower risks of over 200 diseases”.

Analysis showed those who exercised regularly during the week had a 28% lower list of developing high blood pressure while those who were active only at the weekends at a 23% lower risk.

For diabetes, the risk was 43% lower for weekend warriors and 46% lower for those who exercised during the week, the researchers said.

Dr Khurshid said: “Our findings were consistent across many different definitions of weekend warrior activity, as well as other thresholds used to categorise people as active.

“Because there appears to be similar benefits for weekend warrior versus regular activity, it may be the total volume of activity, rather than the pattern, that matters most.”

He said further research is needed to understand more about the effectiveness of being weekend warriors.