You should do something that makes you sweat every single day, right?
At least, that very loose metric has long been the standard for anyone who wants to stay fit, live longer and healthier, and stave off any number of diseases that are associated with inactivity. According to federal guidelines in both the U.S. and UK, adults should do at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise (like walking) or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise (like running) each week to reduce the risk of long-term health issues like dementia and heart disease.
However, according to a new study published in Circulation, a journal from the American Heart Association, it might be perfectly fine to cram a week’s worth of exercise into one or two days. In fact, the study says that doing as much—becoming a “weekend warrior,” so to speak—can lower the risk of developing more than two-hundred diseases when compared to wholly inactive people.
The study, led by scientists at Massachusetts General Hospital, analyzed information from nearly 90,000 people enrolled in the UK Biobank project and categorized their physical activity as…
