Engaging in physical activity just once or twice a week can be as healthy as exercising every day—provided that the weekly requirement of 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise is met.
This was confirmed by a recent study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, which challenges the belief that daily training is essential to achieve positive health outcomes. According to Women’s Health, this research offers revealing data for those who struggle to maintain a daily workout routine.
The Study: 93,000 Participants Over 8 Years
The research, led by Dr. Zhi-Hao Li, epidemiologist at Southern Medical University in Guangzhou, analyzed 93,000 people in the United Kingdom over an eight-year period.
Participants were monitored through wrist-worn devices, allowing for detailed tracking of their physical activity. Based on the data, researchers classified participants into three groups:
– Inactive individuals: did not meet the minimum recommended levels.
– Regular exercisers: distributed their workouts throughout the week.
– “Weekend warriors”: concentrated their 150 minutes of physical activity into one or two days.
Results: Clear Health Benefits
The findings show that both “weekend warriors” and those who train regularly throughout the week obtain similar health benefits.
Weekend warriors:
– 32% lower risk of death from all causes.
– 31% lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease.
– 21% lower risk of death from cancer.
Regular exercisers:
– 26% lower risk of all-cause mortality.
– 24% lower cardiovascular risk.
– 13% lower risk of cancer.
This demonstrates that the key is not the frequency of workouts, but reaching the recommended weekly volume of physical activity.
The 150-Minute Weekly Requirement
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends accumulating at least 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity per week to maintain good health and reduce the risk of chronic diseases.
+ Moderate exercise: brisk walking, cycling, vigorous household chores.
+ Vigorous exercise: running, swimming, strength training.
Dr. Zhi-Hao Li summarized it this way:
“You don’t need to exercise every day to stay healthy. What matters is reaching 150 minutes of moderate or vigorous activity per week—whether in one or two days, or spread across the week.”
Conclusion
The study confirms that what truly matters is meeting the total recommended amount of exercise, not the number of days on which it is performed.
Therefore, if your schedule doesn’t allow for daily training, you can rest assured: as long as you reach 150 minutes per week, your health will benefit, and your risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, and other causes of mortality will be significantly reduced.
