Dr. Mandelbaum says best to put some form of exercise into your daily routine
Article Link: Weekend Exercise Lowers Risk Of Cancer, Heart Disease, Study Finds
Having a regular exercise routine in place can do your body and mind a serious solid. But actually, finding pockets of time to sweat all throughout the week can be tricky, especially if you have a demanding day job and/or a hectic personal and family life. But, get this: Only exercising on the weekends or a couple of days a week may be as healthy as spreading physical activity out throughout the week, depending on your activity level, new research found.
While the study was not perfect, it has raised plenty of questions about how much you really need to care about your exercise frequency and regularity. Here’s what researchers found—plus why doctors still recommend spreading out your workouts, if and when you can.
How can weekend warriors earn the same health perks as more consistent exercisers, you ask?
At baseline, the study results suggest that getting in the recommended weekly amount of exercise is beneficial for your health—especially when you’re looking at risk for conditions like heart disease and cancer risk, says Bert Mandelbaum, MD, sports medicine specialist and orthopedic surgeon and co-director of the Regenerative Orthobiologic Center at Cedars-Sinai Orthopaedics in Los Angeles.
“This [research] really shows that some exercise is good, more exercise is better, and most exercise is best,” he says. Being able to get your heart rate up for a certain period of time will always be helpful for your overall health, no matter when you can squeeze it in, Dr. Mandelbaum notes.
But ultimately, if working out on the weekends, or only a couple days in general during the week, is all you can manage, then great. But Dr. Mandelbaum recommends trying to do what you can to incorporate more pockets of movement into your schedule where you can. “Wake up a little earlier, and be more creative about when you can exercise,” he says. “The best bet for your health and fitness is to put exercise in some form into your day, every day.”
