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

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 (Steph Zee) is a singer-songwriter and professional writer with over 12 years of experience in healthcare and… Read Full Bio
Topics
Health & Fitness
Tired of shaky workouts? Meet the MERACH UltraWalk W60 Plus – a walking pad built to last
Animal, Canine, Dog

Finding time to exercise is hard enough. The last thing you need is fitness equipment that feels unstable, sounds like it’s about to fall apart, or struggles to keep up with your pace. Yet that’s exactly what many budget walking pads deliver. Lightweight frames, noisy motors, and limited performance often turn what should be an enjoyable workout into a frustrating experience.

The MERACH UltraWalk W60 Plus aims to change that. Instead of simply offering another compact walking pad, MERACH has built a treadmill-grade under-desk fitness machine designed for long-term reliability, stability, and everyday convenience. Whether you’re walking while working, squeezing in a quick cardio session, or looking to stay active without leaving home, the W60 Plus is engineered to make movement feel effortless.

Read more
Health & Fitness
From wheelchair to walking: The power of mindset, movement, and never giving up
Steph Zee Christmas Secret Music Video Steph Green

I never expected I’d have to learn how to walk again. That journey took me from writing for doctors and magazines to spending thousands of hours researching health and autoimmune disease. When we have excellent health, many of us don’t give it much thought until those sneaky symptoms start to show, and one day it all comes crashing down. Now, our health becomes one of the most important priorities. When we feel good, we can be more productive and chase our dreams. When our health declines and we don’t feel so good, one of our biggest dreams is just to feel better. 

I became a health writer 12 years ago, shortly after graduating with my creative writing degree and getting a diagnosis of the autoimmune bone condition, ankylosing spondylitis. In an effort to improve my health, stay mobile, and help prevent my bones from calcifying and fusing, I spent thousands of hours studying everything from nutrition and naturopathy to conventional medicine and holistic healing. I heard this somewhere, so I can’t take credit, but I like to say I went to “save my ass university”, because pain and illness are some of the biggest motivators.

Read more
Health & Fitness
I tried Magic Mind for a month and here is what happened to my productivity
Furniture, Business Card, Paper

I am proudly an all-brown beverage man. I say it often: I am coffee in the morning, bourbon in the evening, and Pepsi/Coke in between. I know what you’re thinking: What about water? Well, all of those are mostly water. And who wants to drink the same thing they bathe in? That sounds gross. All jokes aside, the coffee addiction is real, and I am not alone. Who thinks they can truly conquer a day without a hard shot of caffeine? I would get it in an IV if it were feasible to do on the subway instead of a cup to go. But that doesn’t have to be the only way you develop your productivity. Instead, you can look to the more natural and healthy methods to maintain and increase your effectiveness. I got my hands on some Magic Mind recently, one of the many different products that claim to elevate brain health, increase mental performance, and, of course, replace the coffee without losing the energy boost. But does it work?

The scientific hoolah

Read more