Is weekend exercise enough to stay healthy?

One of the keys to keeping your heart and brain healthy is regular exercise. weekly, at least 150 minutes Do some type of moderate-intensity exercise.

One of the most common ways to achieve this goal is to break it up into five 30-minute sessions per week. But does it matter how you hit the 150-minute milestone? What if you want to free yourself from work pressure and exercise for a few hours on the weekend?

Luckily for weekend warriors, the study suggests that condensing weekly exercise into one or two days can have the same benefits as exercising at regular intervals throughout the week. According to one report, both strategies lower the risk of more than 200 diseases, with a particular focus on hypertension, diabetes, and other diseases related to the cardiovascular system. study.

importance of exercise

There are many reasons to get up off the couch and move your body. Regular exercise compensates for the natural decline in strength and stamina that comes with aging, helping you stay healthy and live longer. Among the things that can be measured, advantageexercise allows you to:

• lower blood pressure
• Raise good cholesterol levels
• increase blood flow
• Helps you lose weight or avoid weight gain
• Prevents osteoporosis by preventing bone loss

Exercise can also increase your ability mental healthEspecially if you find an activity that you enjoy. Even if you hate running on a treadmill, don't make yourself miserable by running on a treadmill. Instead, choose what makes you happy. You may prefer to ride your bike outdoors or play team sports such as basketball or soccer. Adding a social component is a great way to achieve both cardiovascular and mental benefits.

exercise strategy

When setting exercise It is important to understand how much effort you should put into achieving your goals. The goal is to do at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise. But how do we measure it?

Exercise intensity can be categorized into three levels:

1. When you can speak or sing without any problems, you are exercising at a light intensity.
2. If you lose the ability to sing but can still speak comfortably, the intensity level increases to medium.
3. You reach a level of activity when you can only say a few words between breaths.

You should also consider adding strength training to your training regimen, especially as you get older. This helps counter the natural loss of muscle mass that accelerates after your 60s. It also helps increase bone density.

If you're new to exercise, find ways to make it part of your daily routine. For example, you can set aside 30 minutes a day before or after work. Or you can set aside a chunk of time every weekend. Find a friend, family member, or colleague to be your exercise partner. We can hold each other accountable.

Weekend warriors and injury risks

It may seem like limiting your exercise to one or two days a week can make you more susceptible to injury. weekend warriors By warming up wisely and properly, you can effectively eliminate extra risks.

For example, if you don't run regularly, it might not be wise to attempt a marathon on Saturday morning. If you don't lift weights during the week, don't try powerlifting on the weekend. This risk arises from not giving your body a chance to adapt to sudden changes in activity levels.

Be realistic about what you can expect from your body. Then, take some time to warm up with light exercise and stretching, and cool down after you're done.

It's hard to say exactly what you should or shouldn't do because everyone is different. That's why it's so important to listen to your body. If you push yourself too much, you can tell by how your body reacts. Be careful if you feel pain.

Remember, at the end of the day, it doesn't matter how you operate. Just stay active. If you can train every morning or afternoon, that's great. However, if your schedule dictates weekend training, that's great too. The more active you are, the better you will feel.