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Practicing your favorite sport intensively on weekends would be just as beneficial as daily physical activity. At least that’s what a new study, published in the medical journal Jama Network, suggests.
No time to exercise during the week? Don’t worry: your health won’t suffer. Researchers have indeed discovered that people who engage in physical exercise on weekends have a mortality rate as low as others.
People who exercise on weekends lower their risk of premature death
For this study, the scientists of the journal jama-network followed nearly 350,978 athletes between 1997 and 2013. Participant data was linked to the National Death Index through December 31, 2015.
Then, the participants were divided into several groups, by level:
- Those physically inactive (less than 150 minutes of sport per week);
- Those who are physically active (more than 150 minutes of moderate activity or more than 75 minutes of intense activity).
The active group was then subdivided by categories (by frequency, duration/session and intensity of activity…).
The rehabilitation of the “weekend warriors”
Results ? Weekend athletes had mortality rates (all causes combined: cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, etc.) similar to participants who were regularly active during the week.
Of nearly 22,000 deaths, weekend athletes also had a reduced mortality rate (-8%). This lifestyle was therefore just as effective in reducing the risk of premature death:
“We found that weekend exercisers and regularly active participants had similar all-cause mortality (…) suggesting that when performing the same amount of physical activity, spreading it out over more days or concentrating it on fewer days may not influence mortality results“say the researchers in the international medical journal JAMA.
Therefore, by taking a brisk 30-minute walk five times a week or a 1 hour and 15-minute run once a week, it is possible to respect these health measures.
“Adults who complete 150 minutes or more of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (or 75 minutes of vigorous activity) per week may experience similar health benefits whether sessions are spread out over the week or concentrated on a weekend “say the researchers.
“For people with fewer opportunities for daily or regular physical activity during their work week, these findings matter.“, concludes the research team.