Exercise prevents heart disease whether it is daily or limited to weekends
August 1, 2023
Happy August!
Source: Kurshid, et al JAMA July 18, 2023 LINK WW= weekend warrior; Reg Ex are those who distribute their exercise through the week.
Current guidelines suggest adults should exercise moderately 150 minutes a week and do muscle strengthening exercises twice a week. This study demonstrates that it doesn’t appear to matter how we distribute that exercise through the week.
Researchers tracked the cardiovascular outcomes of almost 90,000 middle aged adults in the United Kingdom over a period of 6.3 years after they did a week of accelerometer measurement to determine their exercise patterns. Those who met the recommended exercise through more than 50% of calories expended during two of the seven days were categorized as weekend warriors, and those who spread their exercise over more days were categorized as regular exercisers. About a third of the population did not exercise regularly at all.
Source: Kurshid, et al JAMA July 18, 2023 LINK
The researchers found that exercising mattered a lot - those who exercised were as much as a third less likely to have cardiovascular events. It didn’t matter whether they were weekend warriors or distributed their exercise over the entire week.
The researchers note that the week of accelerometer use might not have accurately represented exercise over the six-year period, and those who had more illness at the baseline might have been more likely to be inactive.
Implications for employers:
Encourage regular exercise! Exercise not only protects against cardiovascular disease and lowers weight; exercise makes people feel happier.
Health benefits of exercise are likely gained regardless of how that exercise is distributed through the week.
Employers can encourage exercise by offering on-site facilities, subsidies for gym memberships or lifestyle spending accounts, and providing bike racks and places to change for those who exercise adjacent to the workday.
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