Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Health & Fitness

Is the weekend warrior lifestyle enough to protect your heart? Study weighs in

All gain, no weekday pain? Here’s what being a weekend warrior can do for your heart

By
man exercising working out
RDNE / Pexels

If you’re someone who has busy weeks and fits your exercise into the weekend, you might be wondering if you’re doing enough to enhance your fitness. Is the weekend warrior lifestyle sufficient to get the health benefits that come along with exercise? Is it enough to protect your heart?

Researchers have concluded that remaining moderately active for at least three minutes on a regular basis can lower your likelihood of having a stroke, heart attack, or another cardiovascular event. Those who engaged in more incidental activities, such as household chores, experienced greater health improvements. Moving your muscles is certainly protective for your heart.

Recommended Videos

Recently, researchers wanted to explore how the weekend warrior lifestyle impacts the risk of heart disease for those with type 2 diabetes. Here’s the research.

The study

man woman stretching exercising working out
Ketut Subiyanto / Pexels

In a new study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, the study authors evaluated health and physical activity data from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) for nearly 52,000 people. The individuals in the study had type 2 diabetes and were placed into four groups:

  1. People in Group One were inactive and didn’t get any exercise.
  2. People in Group Two got less than 150 minutes of weekly moderate-to-vigorous physical activity.
  3. Those in Group Three were weekend warriors completing a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous intensity exercise every week, fitting those minutes into one or two workout sessions.
  4. Those in Group Four were regularly active and completed a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity each week, split into three or more sessions.

The results

man exercising on bars outside evening
Taraschuiko / Pexels

The results showed the following:

  • People with type 2 diabetes who lived the weekend warrior lifestyle had a significantly reduced chance of fatality from heart disease compared to individuals in group one who didn’t get any exercise.
  • Groups two, three, and four, who were all physically active to some degree, had lower risks of fatality from heart disease and any cause compared to the inactive group one.
  • The weekend warriors had a 21% reduced risk of fatality from any cause and a 33% reduced risk of heart disease fatality compared to inactive group one.
  • The regularly active participants in group four had a 17% lower risk of fatality from any cause and a 19% lower risk of fatality from heart disease compared to the inactive group one.

The takeaway

Man lifting weights dumbbell row exercise arms gym
Ketut Subiyanto / Pexels

Even if you’re fitting your exercise into just one or two sessions on a weekend, this research shows that it’s still beneficial for your heart. Engaging in physical activity on weekends can still help improve inflammation and blood sugar levels in individuals with type 2 diabetes. It’s essential to note that this study focused on individuals who consistently logged the recommended 150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity each week. 

The researchers pointed out that any exercise is better than none, and it’s crucial you fit it into your schedule in the way that works best for you. If you can aim for the recommended 150 minutes and keep the intensity moderate to vigorous, there are numerous benefits that come along with it, including for your heart.

Steph Green
Steph Green
Steph Green is a content writer specializing in healthcare, wellness, and nutrition. With over ten years of experience, she…
Topics

Editors’ Recommendations

No more counting sheep: Study shows the best exercises to help you sleep
Can moving your muscles help lull you into a more restful slumber? Which type of exercise is best for those dealing with insomnia?
A man lies asleep in bed

Without a full night’s sleep, there’s no way I can perform at my best. If it’s a particularly bad night of sleep, I end up dragging myself through the day feeling groggy, and my productivity drops as a result. We all know we need to sleep — and so many of us are tracking our sleep these days. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society recommend getting a minimum of 7 hours of sleep per night. Even so, more than a quarter of American adults aren’t meeting these recommendations.

Insomnia is a sleep condition characterized by difficulty falling and staying asleep, or issues getting sufficient restful sleep. In a recent study, researchers explored which exercises can help reduce the symptoms of insomnia, and the results are just as I would expect. For example, last night I completed a 30-minute full-body stretch yoga session, and I definitely slept better. My spine also felt better immediately after. Let’s check out the latest research.

Read more
Barbell vs. dumbbell bench press: Which one is best for your strength goals?
Should you prioritize one exercise over the other?
men bench press spotter gym

The bench press is a classic exercise, as it targets numerous upper-body muscles simultaneously. As a personal trainer, I include the bench press in nearly every client’s program, and I consistently do it myself once or twice a week. So, we know the bench press is beneficial, but are certain variations better than others?

In the gym, you likely have access to both barbells and dumbbells when it comes to your chest days. Keep reading to discover which should win the barbell vs. dumbbell bench press debate!

Read more
43 minutes vs. 13: Researchers reveal ultra-efficient weightlifting in new study
man with barbell squat weightlifting resistance training

Do you need to spend an hour in the gym to see results? Can multiple shorter sessions throughout the week provide the same or similar strength gains as longer routines if you apply the same effort? These are the questions researchers set out to answer and understand in more depth in an interesting study.

I often remind myself that any amount of exercise is better than none, and my body will thank me for dedicating time to working out. When it comes to building strength with resistance training, many people feel that to get closer to your strength goals you have to push yourself through 40 minutes or longer every time you pick up those weights, but this new study spins that questionable notion on its head.

Read more