Some Exercise Is Good, Even if It's Only on Weekends

Most guidelines on exercise to promote health and longevity recommend moderate-to-vigorous−intensity activity several days weekly. Benefits of exercise performed 1 or 2 days weekly (usually on weekends, the so-called weekend-warrior pattern) are less clear. In this study, researchers linked health-behavior survey data from nearly 64,000 English and Scottish adults (mean age, 57) with national mortality data. Participants were classified as inactive (63%), insufficiently active (22%), weekend warriors (4%), and regularly active (11%). Weekend warriors were defined as those who performed at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity weekly during one or two sessions; regularly active particip…