ROCKVILLE, Md. — Don’t have time to work out during the week? No need to worry! A new study reveals that being a weekend warrior is the way to go if you’re looking to lose weight. Researchers from The Obesity Society reveal that squeezing in physical activity on Saturdays and Sundays can be just as effective for losing weight as spreading out exercise across the work week.
This study, the first to closely examine the link between exercise patterns and directly measured body fat, provides a glimmer of hope for those struggling to find time for daily workouts in today’s fast-paced world.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has long recommended adults engage in at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise weekly. Despite these guidelines, adhering to a regular exercise schedule can be daunting for many, leading to a search for alternative fitness strategies. Enter the “weekend warrior” approach, where individuals concentrate their physical activity into one or two days a week, aiming to hit the WHO’s exercise targets within this limited timeframe.
For office workers, bus drivers, and others bound to sedentary jobs, the weekend warrior model could offer a practical solution to maintaining fitness. Activities like climbing, hiking, cycling, or running are especially suited to this pattern, providing a way to combat the health risks associated with a sedentary lifestyle.
“Those people are struggling to catch up in their exercise plan in daily life to offset the hazard of a sedentary lifestyle but have less free time to get to the gym,” says study corresponding author Lihua Zhang, a health care scientist at Fuwai Hospital, National Center for Cardiovascular Diseases, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, in a media release. “Our study could offer them an alternative choice to keep fit.”
The study drew on data from over 9,600 individuals between 20 and 59 years-old who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 2011 and 2018. Researchers assessed body fat and abdominal fat using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA), a non-invasive scan, alongside traditional body measurements. Participants’ physical activity levels were categorized into three groups: inactive, weekend warriors, and regularly active, based on their responses to the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire.
The findings were illuminating. Both weekend warriors and regularly active participants showed significantly lower levels of abdominal and overall body fat compared to those who were inactive. These groups also tended to be younger, more likely to be non-Hispanic White, possess higher education levels, and have lower rates of unemployment, hypertension, or diabetes.
“On a high level, this study reaffirms the old adage about physical activity and health: any activity is better than no activity. Notably, the weekend warriors’ workout was of higher intensity and longer duration, and more intensity and longer duration correlated with even lower abdominal fat,” explains Dr. Beverly Tchang, assistant professor of clinical medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine’s Comprehensive Weight Control Center. “The main takeaway, though, is that people should be active in any manner that suits their lifestyle.” Dr. Tchang did not take part in the study.
However, Dr. Steven B. Heymsfield, a professor at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and not associated with the study, cautions that future research is necessary.
“Findings in a cross-sectional sample such as reported by the study’s researchers need confirmation in prospective longitudinal studies.”
This research challenges the conventional wisdom that only regular, daily exercise can contribute to weight loss and health improvements. It opens the door for more flexible exercise schedules, offering a viable alternative for those with hectic weekdays. For many, being a weekend warrior might just be the key to achieving their fitness and weight loss goals.
The study is published in the journal Obesity.
“… future research is necessary.
“Findings in a cross-sectional sample such as reported by the study’s researchers need confirmation in prospective longitudinal studies.”
Scientist talk for “Gimme your money. Lots of it. For years.”