Hit the gym, even if it’s for just two days. Limiting workouts to weekends does not mean you might be missing out on the cognitive benefits. New research reveals that ‘weekend warriors’ enjoy brain-boosting benefits comparable to regular gym goers.
The term “weekend warrior” describes a pattern of physical activity limited to just one or two intense sessions per week. Studies have shown that regular physical activity is linked to reduced risk of cognitive decline, which includes issues such as memory loss, and thinking, the precursor of dementia.
Recent findings published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine offer a more convenient target for those with hectic schedules. They suggest that weekend warrior workouts can reduce the risk of mild dementia, with similar results to regular exercise.
“To the best of our knowledge, the present study is the first prospective cohort study to show that the weekend warrior physical activity pattern and the regularly active physical activity pattern are associated with similar reductions in the risk of mild dementia,” the researchers wrote in the news release.
Researchers based their findings on two large-scale surveys of more than 10,000 adults from the Mexico City Prospective Study. The participants had an average age of 51. The questionnaires assessed whether participants exercised or played sports, as well as the frequency: how many days per week and for how many minutes.
Based on their responses, participants were divided into groups: those who did not exercise, ‘weekend warriors,’ those regularly active three or more times per week, and a combined group of weekend warriors and regularly active exercisers.
During the second survey, participants’ cognitive decline was also assessed using the Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE), with a total score of 30.
When mild cognitive impairment (MCI) was defined as an MMSE score of 23 or below, 2,856 cases were identified, with 30% prevalence among non-exercisers, 20% among weekend warriors, and 22% among regular exercisers.
“Compared with the no exercisers, weekend warriors were 13% less likely to develop MCI (mild cognitive impairment), while the regularly active and those in the combined group were 12% less likely to do so. The results were similar for both men and women,” the news release stated.
This means that 13% of mild dementia cases might be avoided if all middle-aged adults exercised at least once or twice a week.
The researchers suggest their findings “have important implications for policy and practice because the weekend warrior physical activity pattern may be a more convenient option for busy people in Latin America and elsewhere.”
