A new study reveals that engaging in physical activity, whether regularly or concentrated on weekends, can lead to significant weight loss.
Whether you engage in physical activity on a regular basis or one-to-two days a week, both options produce weight loss suggests a new study published in the journal Obesity, The Obesity Society’s (TOS) flagship journal. The study is the first of its kind to examine the association between physical activity patterns and objectively measured fat tissue mass.
WHO Guidelines and “Weekend Warrior” Findings
Guidelines from the World Health Organization recommend that adults perform at least 150 minutes per week of moderate physical activity, 75 minutes per week of vigorous physical activity, or an equivalent combination of both intensities. However, many individuals find it challenging to meet this recommendation due to physical activity being time-consuming in a fast-paced society. The new study found that people defined by researchers as “weekend warriors”—individuals who condense their exercise into one-to-two days a week—can also lose weight similar to individuals who exercise on a regular basis as long as they achieved the recommended goals.
The Value of Flexible Exercise Schedules
“The weekend warrior pattern is worth promoting in individuals who cannot meet the recommended frequency in current guidelines,” said Lihua Zhang, health care scientist, Fuwai Hospital, National Center for Cardiovascular Diseases, Chinese DOI: 10.1002/oby.23986
Other authors of the study include Lubi Lei, Jingkuo Li, Wei Wang, Yanwu Yu, Boxuan Pu and Yue Peng, National Clinical Research Center for Cardiovascular Diseases, Fuwai Hospital, National Center for Cardiovascular Diseases, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China. Another corresponding author, Zhenyan Zhao, is from the Department of Cardiology, Fuwai Hospital, National Center for Cardiovascular Diseases, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China.