Total Exercise Time Trumps Frequency

Whereas previous physical activity guidelines recommended that adults be active on most or all days of the week, the current guidelines from the World Health Organization recommend that adults accumulate 150 minutes or more per week, of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, with no recommendation for frequency.  Ian Janssen, from Queens University (Canada), and colleagues studied 2,324 adults from across Canada, with subjects wearing accelerometers on their waists. The team determined that adults who accumulated 150 minutes of exercise on a few days of the week were not any less healthy than adults who exercised more frequently throughout the week. The study authors conclude that: “The frequency of physical activity throughout the week was not independently associated with the [Metabolic Syndrome] among active adults. Conversely, the weekly volume of [moderate-to-vigorous physical activity] was strongly associated with the [Metabolic Syndrome].”