Being physically active for one to two days a week, often called a “weekend warrior,” may provide comparable health and life-prolonging benefits as smaller doses of daily physical activity if the physical effort is moderate to vigorous and totals 150 minutes a week in line with recommended guidelines for weekly physical activity.

This is according to new research published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, an open access, peer-reviewed journal of the American Heart Association.

“You don’t need to exercise every day to stay healthy. As long as you get 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity per week — whether packed into one to two days or spread out — you can significantly reduce your risk of dying from cardiovascular disease, cancer or other causes,” said study corresponding author Zhi-Hao Li, Ph.D., an epidemiologist in the School of Public Health at Southern Medical University in Guangzhou, China.

“This message is encouraging news for busy people who struggle to fit in daily workouts but can manage a concentrated burst of activity on weekends or over a couple of days,” Li said. “The research provides reassuring evidence that even sporadic physical activity can have lasting health benefits, making it easier for people to prioritize their well-being amid busy schedules.”

To achieve health benefits, both the World Health Organization and the American Heart Association recommend that throughout a week adults engage in 150 to 300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity, or 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity, or an equivalent combination of moderate and vigorous-intensity activity.

Researchers examined health and physical activity data for more than 93,000 people in a large biomedical database in the U.K. to explore how different physical activity patterns may affect the risk of dying from all causes, specifically cardiovascular disease and cancer. They reviewed physical activity data collected from wrist accelerometers, devices that measure movement and are likely more accurate than asking participants about their activity.

The study categorized the data into three groups: “active weekend warrior” — people who completed most of their exercise in one or two days; “active regular” — those who spread their activity throughout the week; and “inactive” — participants who did not complete the recommended minimum of 150 minutes of weekly physical activity.

Compared to the inactive group, the weekend warrior and active regular groups had a significantly lower risk of death from all causes, cardiovascular disease and cancer if they completed 150 minutes of physical activity a week.

The analysis also found:

• For weekend warriors, the risk of death from all causes was 32% lower; the risk of death from cardiovascular disease was 31% lower; and the risk of death from cancer was 21% lower.
• Among participants in the active regular group, the risk of death from all causes was 26% lower; the risk of death from cardiovascular disease was 24% lower; and the risk of death from cancer was 13% lower.
• No significant differences in the risk of death surfaced between the weekend warrior vs. the active regular group.

While the new research aligns with previous studies, it is the first to analyze the relationship between physical activity patterns measured by accelerometers and the risk of death from cardiovascular disease and cancer.

Some of the findings surprised the research team, who initially expected that spreading activity throughout the week would be more beneficial. They did not anticipate that weekend warriors’ condensed physical activity would reduce the risk of death from disease.

“This reinforces the idea that meeting the 150-minutes of physical activity per week guideline is key to longevity, regardless of the activity pattern,” Li said. “Any activity — whether structured exercise such as jogging or daily tasks such as gardening — can be included if the intensity is moderate to vigorous.”

American Heart Association expert volunteer Keith Diaz, Ph.D., said the findings emphasize that the total volume of physical activity is the crucial factor for health benefits, rather than how it is distributed across a week. Diaz, the Florence Irving Associate Professor of Behavioral Medicine at Columbia University Medical Center in New York, was not involved in this research.

“Many people struggle to fit in daily exercise during the workweek; however, this research shows that even if you can only be active on the weekends, you can still gain meaningful health benefits,” said Diaz, a member of the Association’s Physical Activity Science Committee.

“One important caveat to remember is that trying to fit 150 minutes of exercise into just one or two days can be a lot on your body,” he added. “Some research suggests that weekend warriors have a slightly higher risk of musculoskeletal injuries compared to those who exercise more regularly. However, the benefits of exercising just on the weekend far outweigh the potential risks. If you are going to be a weekend warrior, make sure you do proper warm-ups and build up and progress to higher volumes of activity over time. This will help to reduce your risk of injuries.”

The study had several limitations, including that physical activity was only measured at baseline; participants lived in the U.K. and most were white, so the results may not apply to other populations. The researchers said future studies should be conducted to confirm these results in more diverse groups of people throughout the world and with more consideration for contradictory factors such as genetic predisposition or environmental exposures that may influence physical activity and the outcomes.

Study details, background and design:

• The research data focused on seven days of accelerometer-measured physical activity from 2013 to 2015 for 93,409 participants, aged 37 to 73, enrolled in the UK Biobank.
• More than 56% of the participants were women, 97% were white and their average age was 62 years old.
• Based on accelerometer data, more than 42% of participants were classified as weekend warrior, about 24% as active regular and nearly 34% as inactive.
• The accelerometers captured a range of activities, including walking, jogging, stationary cycling, elliptical exercises, household chores, gardening and leisure activities such as dancing.
• During eight years of follow-up, nearly 4,000 adults died from all causes, including about 17% from cardiovascular disease and about 45% from cancer.
• Compared to the inactive participants, those who exercised during two days each week were more likely to be men, younger, have a college degree, non-smokers, non-drinkers, less likely to have Type 2 diabetes and/or to have lower body mass index (an indicator of body fat to determine healthy weight).

Physical fitness and increasing muscle strength could reduce the mortality rate for cancer patients by between 31% to 46%, new research from Edith Cowan University (ECU) has found.

Around 20 million new cancer cases were reported in 2022, with 9.7 million cancer deaths reported world-wide during the same period, with experts expecting the trend to increase in the coming decades.

ECU PhD student Mr Francesco Bettariga noted that in healthy adults, physical fitness and muscle strength has been associated with a 21% reduction in all-cause mortality, as well as a 15% reduction for cardiovascular disease mortality, and a 27% reduction for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease mortality.

Mr Bettariga’s research has found that both muscle strength and cardiorespiratory fitness had a significant impact to lower the risk of all-cause and cancer-specific mortality in patients with any form of cancer and stage.

“Our research found that anyone can benefit from higher muscle strength and cardiorespiratory fitness to have reduced mortality. But when we did our sub-group analysis, we found especially positive findings for those patients living with lung cancer and digestive cancer,” Mr Bettariga said.

“Increased muscle strength and cardiorespiratory fitness had also significant potential to extend the lives of people living with advanced stage of cancer.”

Mr Bettariga said that while physical fitness was beneficial to everyone, increased muscle strength and cardiorespiratory fitness after a cancer diagnosis would still deliver results.

“In practical terms, if a person is diagnosed with cancer and only starts exercising to increase their muscle strength or cardiorespiratory fitness levels after that diagnosis, they will potentially extend their survival and reduce their mortality risk.”

He noted that cardiorespiratory fitness could be particularly increased by aerobic exercises like brisk walking, running, swimming or cycling, while muscle strength could be enhanced by the adoption of resistance exercise programs, including the use of dumbbells, barbell and weight-machine.

“The guidelines are that people should be exercising at least three to five days per week. They can do between 75 minutes and 150 minutes of vigorous-intensity exercise a week, or around 300 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise.

“Resistance exercise training can be done at least twice a week, and would need to incorporate at least two or three sets of each resistance exercise, consisting of around 8 to 15 repetitions each at moderate intensity at least.”

Mr Bettariga said the results from his research underscored the importance of clinical practitioners assessing the physical fitness of cancer patients as part of the process of predicting survival.

“Moreover, from a practical perspective, implementing tailored exercise prescriptions to enhance muscle strength and cardiorespiratory fitness throughout the cancer continuum may contribute to reducing cancer-related mortality.”

A Mount Sinai study provides compelling evidence that exercise can significantly help the mental well-being of millions of women living with chronic pelvic pain disorders (CPPDs), such as endometriosis and uterine fibroids.

The researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai found that activities like brisk walking or aerobic exercise can lead to measurable improvements in mental well-being, regardless of pain levels or history of anxiety or depressive disorders. Their findings were reported in the February 26 online issue of the Journal of Pain Research.

CPPDs affect millions of women worldwide, leading to increased health care costs, reduced quality of life, and a higher risk of anxiety and depression, yet effective management strategies remain limited. This study highlights the potential of physical activity as a simple and accessible way to enhance mental well-being, say the investigators.

“Chronic pelvic pain disorders are incredibly complex and burdensome for those affected, yet we still have very few effective treatment strategies,” says lead corresponding author Ipek Ensari, PhD, an Assistant Professor in the Windreich Department of Artificial Intelligence and Human Health at the Icahn School of Medicine and a member of the Hasso Plattner Institute of Digital Health at Mount Sinai. “Our research suggests that physical activity could be an important tool for improving mental health in these patients, offering them a proactive way to enhance their well-being.”

The study tracked 76 women with CPPDs over 14 weeks using mobile health technology, collecting more than 4,200 days’ worth of data. Participants reported their mental health, physical functioning, and pain levels weekly via an app (ehive), while Fitbit devices recorded their daily physical activity. The researchers used advanced statistical modeling to analyze how movement patterns influenced mental health outcomes over time.

One key finding was that the benefits appear to accumulate over time rather than provide immediate relief. “We were particularly intrigued to find that the positive effects of exercise seem to lag by a few days, meaning the mental health benefits may build up gradually,” says Dr. Ensari. “This insight is vital for both patients and health care providers, as it underscores the importance of consistency in physical activity.”

Beyond its implications for patient care, the study also highlights the growing role of artificial intelligence and mobile health technologies in chronic disease management.

“This study showcases the power of wearable technology and AI-driven analysis to uncover valuable insights about health and behavior in real time,” says Girish N. Nadkarni, MD, Chair of the Windreich Department of Artificial Intelligence and Human Healthat the Icahn School of Medicine, Director of the Hasso Plattner Institute for Digital Health, Irene and Dr. Arthur M. Fishberg Professor of Medicine, and Director of The Charles Bronfman Institute for Personalized Medicine. Dr. Nadkarni is also the inaugural System Chief of the Division of Data-Driven and Digital Medicine within Mount Sinai’s Department of Medicine and Co-Director of the Mount Sinai Clinical Intelligence Center. “By using innovative data modeling techniques, we can better understand how lifestyle factors like physical activity interact with health conditions and pave the way for more personalized treatment approaches.”

While the findings are encouraging, the researchers emphasize that physical activity should not be viewed as a replacement for medical treatment but rather as a complementary strategy. Future research will explore how different types and intensities of exercise impact mental health, pain, and fatigue, with the ultimate goal of developing personalized interventions using wearable technology and mobile apps.

The paper is titled “Trajectories of mHealth-tracked mental health and their predictors in female chronic pelvic pain disorders.”

The remaining authors, all with the Icahn School of Medicine except where indicated, are Emily L. Leventhal, BA: Nivedita Nukavarapu, PhD; Noemie Elhadad, PhD (Columbia University Irving Medical Center); Suzanne R. Bakken, PhD, RN, FAAN, FACMI, FIAHSI (Columbia University School of Nursing);  Michal A. Elovitz, MD;  Robert P. Hirten, MD;  Jovita Rodrigues, MS;  Matteo Danieletto, PhD; and Kyle Landell, BA.