This text was written by a TecMundo columnist; finally learn more.
Do you do physical activity? If so, how regular is it? The worldwide recommendation for physical activity for adults is at least 2.5 hours per week (150 minutes) at moderate intensity (you can talk) or 75 minutes at high intensity (where it’s hard to talk).
The National Health Service (NHS) in the UK recommends spreading the amount evenly over 4 or 5 days, or even every day. In a document published by the Ministry of Health in Brazil in 2021, weekly aerobic activity frequency is not mentioned except for muscle strengthening (at least 2 days). In practice, it is seen that it is prescribed by health professionals for 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week.
physically active people, that is, those who meet this recommendation adopt different standards for this: low or high frequency (number of days) weekly.
Science has sought to understand whether there are differences between the different standards adopted by people regarding the benefits of physical activity on health and risk of death.
Researchers from Boston, Massachusetts (USA) found that a common pattern among people is reaching the weekly recommendation. Physical activity 1 or 2 days a week and this provides similar benefits in the cardiovascular area compared to people with physical activity spread over more days..
The study was published in the renowned scientific journal JAMA (July 18).Journal of the American Medical Association) was studied through a cohort that tracked physical activity with direct measurements via wrist-worn accelerometers of approximately 90,000 people over a one-week period from June 2013 to December 2015.
Most people (42%) perform at least half of their physical activity “only 1 or 2 days a week” in the literature.weekend warriors”, free translation: weekend warriors. What we colloquially call “weekend athletes” in Brazil. The proportion of those who distributed their activities over more days corresponded to 24%, while 33% were classified as physically inactive because they did not reach the recommendation.
The results showed that both physical activity patterns were associated with lower risks of heart problems, such as atrial fibrillation, myocardial infarction, and heart failure, compared to those who were not physically active. The risks were equally low between those who did physical activity once or twice a week and those who did more days.
But who does not have a higher risk of injury in physical activity that is concentrated in 1 or 2 days? This was not observed in the trial with similar risks across active groups.
These findings combine with some other findings, confirming that physical activity can be accumulated in different ways throughout the week for health benefits and reduced risk of death, and that flexibility on practice days is an important element for more people to reach the recommended amount.
He underlines a viewpoint published in the same journal the same day: Every minute of physical activity counts for health.
for your health, even a little movement is better than nothing. Considering our current lifestyle, which is characterized by a high rate of sedentary behavior, coupled with physical inactivity, where we spend a lot of time sitting in various occupations and corresponding non-compliance with recommendations for physical activity, every step, movement and physical activity calculation in the fight against diseases caused by these behaviors.
The results of surveys like this are important for the development of public policies that encourage the population to engage in physical activity, even on weekends, whether by providing trails for cycling, walking and running, or by providing movement-generating public events. Even if you only have 1 or 2 days a week for physical activities, do it, it’s worth it.
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fabio dominski He holds a PhD in Human Movement Sciences and a degree in Physical Education from Santa Catarina State University (UDESC). He is a university professor and researcher at the Sport and Exercise Psychology Laboratory (LAPE/CEFID/UDESC). He is the author of Physical Exercise and Science – Facts and Myths and presents the Physical Exercise and Science program on UDESC Joinvile radio (91.9 FM); The program is also available at: podcast on Spotify.
Source: Tec Mundo

I’m Blaine Morgan, an experienced journalist and writer with over 8 years of experience in the tech industry. My expertise lies in writing about technology news and trends, covering everything from cutting-edge gadgets to emerging software developments. I’ve written for several leading publications including Gadget Onus where I am an author.