Schedules are tight. Not everyone can find the time to exercise during the week. Instead they cram all their exercise into the weekend. Are you a weekend warrior?

Current Exercise Recommendations

Yes, it’s important to exercise. Your physical and mental health depend on it. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) currently recommends:

• 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise during the week (i.e., brisk walking)
• 2 days of muscle strengthening (no time requirement)

Don’t get overwhelmed by the numbers. It’s important to remember that not everyone needs to do it the same way.

Physical activity fosters normal growth and development and can make people feel better,
function better, sleep better, and reduce the risk of a large number of chronic diseases.
Health benefits start immediately after exercising, and even short episodes of physical activity are beneficial.
Even better, research shows that just about everyone gains benefits:
men and women of all races and ethnicities, young children to older adults,
women who are pregnant or postpartum, people living with a chronic condition or a disability,
and people who want to reduce their risk of chronic disease.

Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, 2nd edition

Life of a Weekend Warrior

Some people work long hours at their job. Some work more than one job. Of those who work, there may be long commutes. Others have families that require a lot of attention, whether it’s children that need parenting or aging parents that need caregiving. Still others have a combination of all these.

That’s why it can be so frustrating when someone tells them to exercise during the week. You often hear, “just wake up half an hour earlier”, “go for a walk during your lunch break”, “park at the far end of the parking lot”, or “take the stairs more.” It’s not always that easy. Life is not a one size fits all.

If someone is already sleep-deprived, should we really tell them to sleep less? Not everyone has the option of a “true” lunch break (as a doc, I know I always worked through lunch), not everyone has a car of their own, and not everyone may be physically capable of climbing the stairs. The advice needs to be tailored to each person.

So when someone chooses to exercise on the weekend instead, I say, more power to them. There’s nothing wrong with being a weekend warrior. It’s better to get some exercise than none at all.

What the Data Shows

Researchers have actually looked at the weekend warrior approach. A prospective cohort study in JAMA Internal Medicine looked at the exercise habits of more than 350,000 people (average age 41). Over approximately 10 years, they tracked deaths caused by cancer, heart health, or any-cause.

• People who exercised the recommended amount had lower rates of mortality than people who were inactive.
• Of those who exercised the recommended amount, results were similar if someone was a weekend warrior (completed all their exercise in 1 or 2 sessions) or if they performed their exercise over 3 or more sessions during the week.
• It was estimated that mortality decreased by 7% for cancer, by 14% for heart disease, and by 8% or any cause.

So get out there and do what you can. Maybe it’s some gardening or yard work or more formal exercise like biking, hiking, or yoga. Find something that fits your schedule and know that every movement counts.

Santos, Ferrari, G., Dong Ho Lee, Juan Pablo Rey-López, Aune, D., Liao, B., Huang, W., Nie, J., Wang, Y., Giovannucci, E., & Fórnias, L. (2022). Association of the “Weekend Warrior” and Other Leisure-time Physical Activity Patterns With All-Cause and Cause-Specific Mortality. JAMA Intern Med. 182(8), 840–840. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamainternmed.2022.2488

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2018). Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans 2nd edition. Health.gov. https://health.gov/sites/default/files/2019-09/Physical_Activity_Guidelines_2nd_edition.pdf