If You Can Only Workout On The Weekends

 

If You Can Only Workout on the Weekends, Here’s How Long You Need to Exercise

By Laura Hensley 

Updated on March 01, 2024

Fact checked by Nick Blackmer

I re-posted this from VeryWell Health

This will blow the myth that you have to workout 3 or 4 times a week.

Sergey Mironov / Getty Images

Here’s some good news for weekend warriors. New research suggests that people who cram their sweat sessions into a weekend have body fat levels that resemble those who hit the gym throughout the week, as long as they're hitting at least 150 minutes of exercise total.

The study, published in the research journal Obesity, looked at abdominal fat and overall body fat. The Chinese researchers used dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA scan) to measure abdominal and whole-body fat mass and also looked at BMI and waist circumference in nearly 9,700 participants aged 20 to 59 years old.

Researchers collected data from 2011 to 2018 via the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) and then sorted it into groups. Questionnaires grouped participants as inactive, “weekend warriors,” and regularly active.

The findings: Weekend warriors and regularly active participants both had lower abdominal fat and whole-body mass fat compared to the inactive group. 

Based on the data, the researchers suggest that the weekly nationally recommended total physical activity amount—which is 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity and two days of muscle strengthening—can be done either evenly throughout the week or during one to two days. Both workout methods are associated with lower body fat.

Gregory Katz, MD, a cardiologist with NYU Langone Health who was not involved in the study, told Verywell Health that he is not surprised by these findings. Previous research has found that any amount of exercise has beneficial health effects.

“There’s nothing special about when that exercise happens; doing it clustered in a couple of days together is not better or worse than doing it spread out throughout the week,” he said.

While “weekend warrior” is a popular term for this method of exercise, you can work out on any two or three days during the week, said Peter T. Katzmarzyk, PhD, FTOS, associate executive director for Population and Public Health Sciences at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center at Louisiana State University.

“It could be Monday, Wednesday and Friday—it doesn’t have to be a Saturday and Sunday,” he told Verywell.

Listen to Your Body

While the researchers suggest that the weekly recommended exercise amount can be done over one or two days, exercising intensely for more than an hour in one go isn’t for everyone. Your age, fitness level, and any injuries all determine what you’re capable of when starting out.

“It’s important to start slow and gradually build up,” Katzmarzyk said. “You don’t want to go from being completely sedentary to suddenly spending three hours doing an exercise that can really hurt yourself.”

Katz said that the important takeaway from these findings is that any amount of exercise is better than none. You don’t need to relegate your workouts to the weekend, and you don’t need to be intimidated by the 150-minute guidelines. The important thing is to just start moving when you have the time.

“Being consistent is so much more important than doing what’s ‘optimal,” he said. “I look at the research on people who are ‘weekend warriors’ and [see] that’s what they do because it fits with their lifestyle, and they’re able to be consistent.”

Does the Type of Exercise Matter?

The Department of Health and Human Services recommends Americans get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity exercise (or a combination of the two) each week. It also says adults should get in at least two days a week of muscle-strengthening activities that target the major muscle groups: legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders, and arms.

“Any exercise has health benefits, but we recommend the majority of the activity you do be aerobic, such as walking, running, bicycling, yard work, etc.,” Katzmarzyk said.

Still, Katzmarzyk said the strength-training component of weekly exercise is extremely important and has its own set of benefits. It’s important to maintain muscle mass as you age. Regular strength-training exercise, such as resistance training or lifting weights, helps with that.

A variety of movement matters, Michael Graham, PhD, a senior lecturer in sport and exercise science at Teesside University in Middlesbrough, England, told Verywell. If you’re losing weight from aerobic exercise, you’ll need to strength train to prevent losing muscle mass too. Plus, changing things up can help keep boredom at bay and encourage motivation while targeting different muscle groups.

“Varying what you do, or how you do it, can maintain interest and motivation while offering new stimulus for the body, which will encourage further beneficial physiological adaptations,” Graham said.

“For example, moving from a bodyweight squat to an overhead squat (using a ball, dumbbell, or barbell) challenges the core, shoulders, and back in new ways,” he said. “Changing to a barbell back squat is a good way to start introducing additional weight to the exercise, which increases your strength and muscle size—both of which have protective properties for your bones and metabolic health as you age.”

Follow me on X, the former Twitter, @ray0369 to get a link to my latest posts.

If you want to lose your body fat look for my e-books at the websites listed below. You’ll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet. Instead of spending hours on the internet reading dozens of posts, you can save time by picking up one of my e-books. There are two e-books. “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight?” is available at all the online bookstores selling for $3.99. Go to any of the websites below and search the title to find my e-book. This book gives you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans, or meal plans. 

Look for my first book at Amazon.com, bn.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.

My new e-book is available on Smashwords.com and other online bookstores. Just type “getting to a Healthy Weight” in the search box at the top of the home page. 

Look for my podcast by searching “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight” on the podcast app that you use. You’ll see a piece of my book cover.

Emotional Eating

 For some, it takes a major event to trigger emotional eating — getting fired or going through a divorce; for others, it’s a constant struggle: the traffic on the way to work; the jammed photocopier; a tough day at the office … the daily grind can lead to a seemingly unbreakable habit of turning to food to make it all better. It's true, for most of us just your everyday schedule causes all the stress that a normal person can take. 

Stress causes the emotions to get out of control. It's like drinking a big pot of coffee in just a few minutes. And how do we combat all that pinned-up tension, we eat carbs. For some reason, we believe that eating relieves stress. Actually, most of us don't realize that we are stressed. Stress does crazy things to the body. It winds up the tension-spring inside you and as a result, you have to be doing something. so you get up and start moving around and finally, you want something, and out of habit, you turn to food, alcohol, or a cigarette. 

Since I write about losing weight and weight problems we stick to food in this blog.

Emotional eating can sabotage your weight management efforts. Getting a handle on your tendency to eat in response to emotions can be one of the most important factors in achieving long-term weight loss success.

Sometimes, the desire to eat has nothing to do with a rumbling in your stomach telling you that you need to eat. We long for foods — particularly fattening, comforting foods — when emotions spike or plummet. We want to eat and we think nothing else will do.

For me, eating was more about rewarding myself. Then later it became a way to satisfy a craving. I think the more you indulge yourself the more cravings you’ll have. So I defeated those cravings by eating something every three hours. Just remember to avoid empty calories. Eat something that will give you part of the nutrition you need for the day. When you use the small meal plan 5 or 6 small meals a day, it is easier to keep track of the amount of nutrition you’re getting each meal.

The worst part about emotional eating is it actually causes your problems to multiply. Eventually, instead of avoiding the issues you’re stuffing down with food, you’ve created another one altogether — weight gain, guilt about eating, worsening health … and then it starts all over again.

If you tend to give in to emotional eating, you can use a few tactics to regain control of your eating habits and get back on track.

o Step One: Identify Your Triggers

o Step Two: Recognize Hunger Signals

o Step Three: Limit Trigger Foods

Simply stop stocking your fridge and pantry with the foods you binge on.

o Step Four: Don’t Skip Meals

Skipping meals almost always leads to over-eating.

o Step Five: Create Alternatives to Eating

Whether it’s a bubble bath or curling up with a good book, planning other activities will help you relax and avoid binges.

When you trip up — because you will (We all do!), don’t give up. Forgive yourself and start over the next day.

Follow me on X, the former Twitter, @ray0369 to get a link to my latest posts.

If you want to lose your body fat look for my e-books at the websites listed below. You’ll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet. Instead of spending hours on the internet reading dozens of posts, you can save time by picking up one of my e-books. There are two e-books. “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight?” is available at all the online bookstores selling for $3.99. Go to any of the websites below and search the title to find my e-book. This book gives you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans, or meal plans. 

Look for my first book at Amazon.com, bn.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.

My new e-book is available on Smashwords.com and other online bookstores. Just type “getting to a Healthy Weight” in the search box at the top of the home page. 

Look for my podcast by searching “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight” on the podcast app that you use. You’ll see a piece of my book cover.

How to Eat 37 Grams of Fiber in a Day

 From WebMD.com

Why Fiber? Americans don't get enough fiber which is part of our overweight problem. And why aren't we getting enough fiber? Because Americans overdose on meat and don't eat enough veggies and fruit.

When it comes to getting enough fiber in our diets, most of us need to catch up.  It's easier than you think to eat the recommended daily intake. For adults 50 and younger you need 25 grams for women and 38 grams for men. This sample menu gives you 37 grams of fiber from tasty, familiar foods:

• Breakfast: One serving of whole-grain bran flake cereal (5 grams of fiber), topped with half a sliced banana (1.5 grams of fiber) and skim milk
• Morning snack: 24 almonds (3.3 grams of fiber) mixed with a quarter cup of raisins (1.5 grams of fiber)
• Lunch: Turkey sandwich made with 2 slices of whole wheat bread, plus lettuce, tomato (5 grams of fiber total), and an orange (3.1 grams of fiber)
• Afternoon snack: Yogurt topped with half a cup of blueberries (2 grams of fiber)
• Dinner: Grilled fish served alongside a salad made with romaine lettuce and shredded carrots (2.6 grams of fiber), plus half a cup of cooked spinach (2.1 grams of fiber), and half a cup of lentils (7.5 grams of fiber) and don't forget cabbage.
• After-dinner treat: 3 cups popped popcorn (3.5 grams of fiber)

High Fiber Food 

Fiber helps you manage your weight, lowers cholesterol, keeps your bowel movements regular, and reduces your odds of getting diabetes and heart disease. So check food labels and choose "high fiber" foods -- which contain more than 5 grams of fiber per serving -- whenever possible. Consider fiber supplements if you continually need more than what you need through what you eat. Examples include psyllium and methylcellulose.

You can also make simple substitutions to replace low-fiber foods with fiber-rich dishes. Use this chart to help you put more fiber on your plate.

Follow me on X, the former Twitter, @ray0369 to get a link to my latest posts.

If you want to lose your body fat look for my e-books at the websites listed below. You’ll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet. Instead of spending hours on the internet reading dozens of posts, you can save time by picking up one of my e-books. 

There are two e-books. “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight?” is available at all the online bookstores selling for $3.99. Go to any of the websites below and search the title to find my e-book. This book gives you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans, or meal plans. 

Look for my first book at Amazon.com, bn.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.

My new e-book is available on Smashwords.com and other online bookstores. Just type “getting to a Healthy Weight” in the search box at the top of the home page. 

Look for my podcast by searching “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight” on the podcast app that you use. You’ll see a piece of my book cover.

A Snack Food That's Heart Healthy

From VeryWell.com

Prunes, or dried plums, are a fiber-rich fruit that helps with bowel movement.1

Lever E, Scott SM, Louis P, Emery PW, Whelan K. The effect of prunes on stool output, gut transit time and gastrointestinal microbiota: a randomised controlled trial. Clin Nutr. 2019;38(1):165-173. doi:10.1016/j.clnu.2018.01.003

 However, some emerging research suggests prunes might offer more than constipation relief.

Eating prunes daily can improve cholesterol levels while reducing oxidative stress and inflammation, according to two new studies presented at the American Society for Nutrition’s flagship conference in July.

The heart health benefits of long-term prune consumption were seen in men. In older women, eating prunes regularly had no negative effect on metabolic measures, such as total cholesterol, blood sugar, and insulin levels.

“The conclusion here really is that prunes can support cardiovascular health. But we’re just at the tip of the iceberg learning about this, so we have to dig a little deeper into these results and potentially replicate them,” Andrea N. Giancoli, MPH, RD, a registered dietitian and nutrition advisor to the California Prune Board, told Verywell.

Another study published in 2021 found that eating 50–100 grams of prunes (about five to 10 pieces) every day was associated with reduced heart disease risks.2

The reductions in cholesterol and a marker of inflammation were likely because of improvements in antioxidant levels, according to Shirin Hooshmand, PhD, RD, a professor of exercise and nutritional sciences at San Diego State University and a co-author of the study.

This study, along with the two presented in July, were all partially funded by the California Prune Board.

 Why Prunes Should Be Your Go-to Holiday Snack

Are Prunes Better Than Fresh Plums?

Although studies have suggested that prunes—or dried plums—can support heart health, that doesn’t necessarily mean fresh plums or prune juice offer the same benefits.

There haven’t been that many studies on the benefits of fresh plums or prune juice, Hooshmand explained. “It’s possible that at some levels they would have similar benefits. Research is needed to better understand that,” she said.

Drying fresh plums in hot air improves the nutritional properties and shelf life of the fruit, so that might be a reason to pick the dried version over the fresh fruit.3

“You might have to eat more plums to receive the same benefit, but the fundamental composition is going to be similar,” Maya Vadiveloo, PhD, RD, FAHA, an associate professor of nutrition at the University of Rhode Island, told Verywell.

Eating 5–10 dried prunes might be easier than trying to fit in the same amount, or more, of fresh plums. But either option is better than prune juice, according to Vadiveloo.

“Whole fruits and vegetables are rich in fiber, contribute to satiety, and are generally lower in calories,” she said.

 Can Prunes Benefit Young People Too?

While most of the available research on prunes has been conducted on postmenopausal women and men over 55, Vadiveloo said that younger adults would also benefit from eating prunes.

“We’re recommending—across any diet pattern—diets that are rich in fruits and vegetables. So prunes fit into that category,” she said.

If you don’t like the taste of prunes, fruits like apples and berries are also good for your heart. However, fruits only make up one part of your diet. It’s important to focus on a varied diet pattern with vegetables, legumes, and heart-healthy oils as well, Vadiveloo added.

“You can’t add prunes to a diet rich in high-fat red meats or very processed foods and expect it to be a miracle cure,” she said.

Follow me on X, the former Twitter, @ray0369 to get a link to my latest posts.

If you want to lose your body fat look for my e-books at the websites listed below. You’ll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet. Instead of spending hours on the internet reading dozens of posts, you can save time by picking up one of my e-books. There are two e-books. “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight?” is available at all the online bookstores selling for $3.99. Go to any of the websites below and search the title to find my e-book. This book gives you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans, or meal plans. 

Look for my first book at Amazon.com, bn.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.

My new e-book is available on Smashwords.com and other online bookstores. Just type “getting to a Healthy Weight” in the search box at the top of the home page. 

Look for my podcast by searching “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight” on the podcast app that you use. You’ll see a piece of my book cover.

"Bulking Up" Is Out

Most fitness fanatics are going for lean, slim bodies. It’s trending now and the most popular meal plan today is “fasting”. So what does that mean?

Fasting is really about the sporadic eating of healthy foods. In other words, most of us have the same meal plan we grew up with and our parents have the same plan they grew up with. Doesn’t sound like that’s a bad thing, but humans today are not the same type of people our parents or grandparents were. Our ancestors basically ate on the run. They ate when they had food and when they had time. We eat on a schedule handed down through the last several generations. You eat when you get up, and again at mid-day, and again in the evening. Why is that so important? Well, today we realize it’s not important.

When a child is born they eat several times a day because they are not attached to their mother anymore and are used to that continuous feeding. But as they get older you notice that their appetite changes. They want to skip meals, and they’re not hungry as much. Yes, they're still growing but they have the instinct of knowing when they need food and when they don’t. But we try to break them of that inbred instinct and put them on a regimented meal plan whether they want it or not. So, is that the right thing to do or are we changing them for our convenience.

Because humans don’t all require the same amount of calories to maintain body functions, we don’t all need to eat meals frequently. That’s where “fasting” comes in. Fasting is the time that you go without consuming calories. Fasting to lose weight can be done in several ways.

A popular method is the 16/8 plan. You consume all your calories for the day in 8 hours and the other 16 hours you consume zero calories. You can drink water, black coffee, black tea, or any 0-calorie drink but you can’t eat solid food. The theory behind this is that it takes about 12 hours for your body to process the food in your digestive system and after that, it must burn body fat to keep the body working. So for 4 hours a day, the body is burning your body fat stored in your fat cells.

There’s another method of fasting that might work better for you, it’s the 2/5 method. This method is harder for the beginner. Two days a week, non-consecutive you fast for 24 hours. The other 5 days you eat normally, but healthily. Stagger your two days of fasting so they are not close together. The more popular way is to eat around 5 or 6 pm. And then fast until 5 or 6 pm the next day.

Another way to fast is more impulsive. You simply skip meals when you're not hungry. So Some days you might eat 3 meals, some days 2 meals and some days 1 meal.

All 3 methods will reduce calories and you will lose weight over time if you eat healthy foods when you do eat.

I personally tried the 16/8 plan and It worked for me. This is a plan that is close to a normal way to eat. I usually just drink black coffee in the morning so this part was easy. At about 10 am I would eat a protein bar. The bar I picked was about 20 gm. of protein, very filling. Around 12:30 I'd eat lunch. and at about 5:30 I'd eat dinner. I did it by the book, consuming all my calories in 8 hours. Lunch was my big meal and dinner would be smaller. Lunch would be about 900 calories and dinner would be about 500 calories and the protein bar was 350 calories. I stopped drinking calories completely. There are several things you need to give up if you are going to eat healthy. 

Follow me on X, the former Twitter, @ray0369 to get a link to my latest posts.

If you want to lose your body fat look for my e-books at the websites listed below. You’ll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet. Instead of spending hours on the internet reading dozens of posts, you can save time by picking up one of my e-books. There are two e-books. “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight?” is available at all the online bookstores selling for $3.99. Go to any of the websites below and search the title to find my e-book. This book gives you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans, or meal plans. 

Look for my first book at Amazon.com, bn.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.

My new e-book is available on Smashwords.com and other online bookstores. Just type “getting to a Healthy Weight” in the search box at the top of the home page. 

Look for my podcast by searching “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight” on the podcast app that you use. You’ll see a piece of my book cover.

A Question From A Reader

 The Pros and Cons of Protein

We all need protein, it helps us grow muscles and bones. But do we need animal protein? The answer is No! Why is animal protein getting a bad rap? A hundred years ago or less, animal protein was accepted as a healthy form of protein, but in the last 50 years, big corporations have taken over growing produce and raising livestock. 

Now these big corporations are increasing production by producing their products faster. Corporations are adding growth hormones to poultry, pigs, and beef. Even to dairy cattle to increase the milk supply.

Before the introduction of these hormones, a steer would take about 18 months to grow large enough to be sent to market. With the growth hormones, the same steer will be ready for the market in 7.5 months. 

The best livestock is pasture-raised. Whether it's chickens, pigs or steers, and even dairy cattle, pasture-raised livestock without hormones produces the best meat for consumption and the best quality milk. 

Health experts today, recommend more fish or shellfish in your diet, at least one time a week. Only eat red meat once a week, chicken once a week, and plant protein the other four days.

There is a growing concern in North America about the increase in cancer cases almost every year. Yes, the number of deaths from cancer is dropping but the number of cases is increasing. Just look at the number of new cancer hospitals we have today. 

So, how do we get cancer?  I believe it comes from the food we eat and what we breathe. One example of what we breathe is smoke from tobacco. Another is smoke from a building on fire. Firemen today wear oxygen masks because of hazardous materials used in homes, like plastics. 

Our food supply is also hazardous to our health. Try not to eat anything containing chemicals. Chemicals in our food are not processed by the body. They will not pass through. They accumulate. A cancer doctor will tell you "It's not if you will get cancer, it's when will you get cancer." I think the answer to that depends on the foods you eat.

Follow me on X, the former Twitter, @ray0369 to get a link to my latest posts.

If you want to lose your body fat look for my e-books at the websites listed below. You’ll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet. Instead of spending hours on the internet reading dozens of posts, you can save time by picking up one of my e-books. There are two e-books. “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight?” is available at all the online bookstores selling for $3.99. Go to any of the websites below and search the title to find my e-book. This book gives you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans, or meal plans. 

Look for my first book at Amazon.com, bn.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.

My new e-book is available on Smashwords.com and other online bookstores. Just type “getting to a Healthy Weight” in the search box at the top of the home page. 

Look for my podcast by searching “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight” on the podcast app that you use. You’ll see a piece of my book cover.

How To Lose Weight Walking

 Talk the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator whenever you can. Every step counts!

Add 5-minute walking breaks to your workday and walk on your lunch break.

Bring along some headphones for podcasts or motivating music; however, always be aware of your surroundings and do not keep the volume at a level that will impair your hearing nearby cars.

Put it on your calendar and set reminders- a phone alarm or smartphone apps can send alerts to remind you throughout the day to take breaks.

Celebrate achievements- take time to recognize your progress along the way, whether it's through reaching step counts, progress in losing weight, or hitting milestones.

Walking Safety

There are a few things to keep in mind for your personal safety while walking:

Make sure you're dressed for the weather

Protect your skin with sunscreen when walking outside

Listen to your body. If you have an injury be sure to rest. Get an evaluation by a healthcare provider if needed before resuming your walking program.

Always be aware of your surroundings. Having distractions like headphones and looking at your cell phone, or walking at certain times of day with low light levels may not be advisable.

Always use sidewalks when available

Wear reflective clothing when walking near roads during lower visibility

Summary

Walking is a great form of exercise that can not only help you lose weight but has benefits on overall fitness, heart health, sleep, and mood, among other things. Everyone should aim to get 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity per week, and the more the better. There are many ways to incorporate walking into your day, and even short bouts of walking are beneficial.

Follow me on X, the former Twitter, @ray0369 to get a link to my latest posts.

If you want to lose your body fat look for my e-books at the websites listed below. You’ll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet. Instead of spending hours on the internet reading dozens of posts, you can save time by picking up one of my e-books. There are two e-books. “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight?” is available at all the online bookstores selling for $3.99. Go to any of the websites below and search the title to find my e-book. This book gives you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans, or meal plans. 

Look for my first book at Amazon.com, bn.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.

My new e-book is available on Smashwords.com and other online bookstores. Just type “getting to a Healthy Weight” in the search box at the top of the home page. 

Look for my podcast by searching “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight” on the podcast app that you use. You’ll see a piece of my book cover.