The term “weekend warriors” has been used to refer to individuals who exercised irregularly, perhaps just on weekends. It has long been thought that this pattern of exercise was not enough to get the cardiovascular benefit of more frequent exercise, and that these people were just opening themselves up to greater in juries than those who exercised more regularly. Now that thinking has changed. A new study of over 63,000 English and Scottish adults with an average age of 58, showed that exercising just one or two times per week lowered the mortality rate over the eight year study period, by a  whopping 30 per cent compared to people who were sedentary.

Co-author of the study, Harvard researcher I-Min Lee says.“This study is important because it tells us that the total amount of exercise, rather than how often it is done, is the relevant factor. It gives permission, if you will, to be a weekend warrior. However, we would prefer regular activity over the week to decrease the risk of injuries.”

The greatest benefit was seen for those who exercised at least three times per  week, dropping their death rate by thirty five  percent. It was found, however, that the group classified as “insufficient exercisers” those who exercised for less than sixty minutes per week, also benefited from what they did.

Researchers from the United Kingdom, Australia and the United States collaborated on the analysis which was just published in JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association.

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