Many people find it difficult to find time to exercise on weekdays because their daily routines take up all their energy. For these people, there's some good news from scientists: even if you only have time to exercise on weekends, that's enough.
Many people, although they realize that regular exercise is important for health, cannot find time for it on weekdays.
Those who try to compensate for the lack of activity on weekends are called weekend warriors in the West.
This approach has long been criticized: it was believed that training on Saturdays and Sundays could not fully replace regular physical activity evenly distributed throughout the week.
Scientists have new data showing that this approach isn't entirely useless. In fact, it even provides benefits comparable to regular exercise.
Benefits of Weekend Workouts
The World Health Organization recommends at least 75 minutes of vigorous activity (running, interval training, hill walking) or 150 minutes of moderate physical activity (brisk walking, swimming, cycling) per week. It has long been believed that distributing physical activity evenly throughout the week is best.
But the results of a study published in September 2024 showed that “weekend workouts” can compensate for a lack of physical activity during the week. Scientists from Massachusetts General Hospital analyzed the medical records of nearly 90,000 people from the UK Biobank. The subjects were divided into three groups: the first included those who exercised during the week, the second included “weekend warriors,” and the third included “inactive” (those who exercised less than the recommended 150 minutes per week).
It turns out that “weekend warriors” benefit from physical activity just as much as those who exercise regularly—both groups had a lower risk of developing 264 diseases than those classified as “inactive.”
The researchers also divided the conditions into 16 groups (mental health, digestion, neurological, etc.). The most pronounced effect of “weekend workouts” was observed when assessing cardiometabolic disorders: compared to sedentary individuals, “weekend warriors” had a significantly lower risk of developing hypertension (20%) and type 2 diabetes (40%).
“Our study showed that it's not a specific exercise regimen that impacts health, but the overall volume of physical activity. I think this is good news for many. Choose the regimen that's right for you,” says study co-author and Massachusetts General Hospital cardiologist Shaan Khurshid.
But that's not all: last August, a study by Chinese scientists was published that found that “weekend workouts” are just as beneficial for brain health as regular physical activity. They analyzed data from more than 75,000 people from the UK Biobank and found that “weekend warriors” had a lower risk of dementia (by 26%), Parkinson's disease (by 45%), stroke (by 21%), depression (by 40%), and anxiety (by 37%).
Moreover, “weekend warriors,” like regularly exercising athletes, have a 30% lower risk of death from all causes compared to the “inactive” group, as Loughborough University exercise researcher Gary O'Donovan discovered back in 2017.
There's good news for those who've led a sedentary lifestyle for a long time: you can become a “weekend warrior” and reap all the benefits at any time.
In 2019, scientists from the American Cancer Institute found that people who began exercising in middle age (40–60 years) reduced their risk of dying from heart disease (by about 35%) and cancer (by about 15%) to the level of those who led an active lifestyle from a young age.
“Even if someone hasn't exercised for most of their life, they can still develop healthy habits and reap significant health benefits. Our results show that it's never too late to start leading an active lifestyle,” the study's authors write.
How to find time for sports
“These research findings may be encouraging for those who lack time for exercise during the week. However, it's important not only to adhere to the minimum recommendations established by the WHO but also to strive to increase the amount of physical activity, as this may provide additional health benefits,” notes Leandro Rezende, a preventive medicine specialist at the University of São Paulo.
Here's how to get more active when you're short on time.
Increase your daily activity . Many people think of proper physical exercise as a gym session. However, physical activity is a broader concept. A study conducted by UK researchers found that even increasing your daily activity (climbing stairs, cleaning the house, walking in the park) can provide health benefits similar to those experienced from an hour-long jog or lifting weights at the gym.
Pay attention to the “gaps” between tasks . “We often think there are no extra hours in the day. I love to prove to my clients that this is not true. To do this, I set them a simple task: track what they do throughout the day. And it turns out that between different tasks—cooking, eating, working, spending time with children—there are small gaps of 10-15 minutes. We imperceptibly fill these gaps with reading the news or scrolling through social media. But these gaps can be used for mini-workouts. If you perform short and simple exercises during these blocks, you'll have completed a full workout by the end of the day,” says fitness trainer and kinesiology specialist Katie Asher.
Standing up from a chair . “We sit and stand up from a chair many times a day. Think of this process as a full squat: place your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, straighten your back, press your heels into the floor, and feel the muscles in your legs and glutes engage. Once you stand up, sit back down and repeat. By doing this simple action, you'll increase your squat frequency to 20 or more per day,” advises Mike Mayor, physical therapist and founder of Strive Physiotherapy & Performance.
Take a cue from children . Young children seem to have boundless energy—they're constantly running, jumping, climbing, and tumbling. If you have children, try to get at least half an hour a day of movement at the same intensity. “Go to the park and let them run wild. But don't lag behind! If they're running, so are you; if they're spinning, so are you. Remember how great it was to run around tirelessly as a child, and bring that feeling back into your life. Your body will thank you,” says Mike Mayor.
Don't delegate tasks to technology . While household appliances make life and housekeeping easier, they take over tasks we could be doing for our own health. “Stick to the 'old school': use a shovel instead of a snowblower, choose a push lawn mower, vacuum yourself instead of using a robot,” advises Mayor.
Don't blame yourself . Work, family, household chores, and personal interests all require attention and energy. It's normal that a busy schedule doesn't always leave you with the energy and time to exercise. Self-care isn't just about exercise; it's also about rest. Sometimes the best thing you can do for your health is simply get a good night's sleep.