Think you don’t have time to exercise every day? New research says you might not need to.
A large study of over 50,000 adults with diabetes found that even squeezing in just two workouts a week—so-called “weekend warrior” style—can significantly reduce the risk of dying from heart disease. Whether you space out your activity or cram it into the weekend, the total weekly effort matters more than frequency, slashing cardiovascular death risk by up to 33%.
Physical Activity Benefits for Diabetics
A long-term study looked at how different exercise habits affect death rates from all causes, heart-related conditions (cardiovascular or CV), and cancer in adults living with diabetes. The researchers found that both “weekend warriors” and those who exercised more regularly—so long as they followed current physical activity guidelines—had similarly lower risks of dying from any cause or from cardiovascular disease when compared to people who were inactive.
This highlights that any consistent form of exercise can provide major health benefits for individuals with diabetes. The findings were published in Annals of Internal Medicine.
Who Was Studied and How
The study was conducted by a team of researchers from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Capital Medical University, and other institutions. They analyzed information from 51,650 adults who reported having diabetes and took part in the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) between 1997 and 2018.
Four Activity Patterns and Their Effects
Current guidelines recommend at least 150 minutes per week of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) distributed across a minimum of three days. Participants were categorized into four activity patterns: inactive (no reported MVPA); insufficiently active (MVPA less than 150 minutes per week); weekend warrior (MVPA 150 or more minutes per week across one to two sessions); and regularly active (MVPA 150 or more minutes per week across at least three sessions).
Striking Results on Mortality Risk
The researchers found that insufficiently active, weekend warrior, and regularly active participants had lower risks for all-cause and cardiovascular mortality compared to inactive participants. Weekend warriors and regularly active participants had a 21% and 17% lower all-cause mortality risk and 33% and 19% lower risks of cardiovascular mortality, respectively, compared with inactive participants. There were fewer differences by cancer mortality compared with physical inactivity.
References:
“Association of Weekend Warrior and Other Physical Activity Patterns With Mortality Among Adults With Diabetes” by Zhiyuan Wu, Chen Sheng, Zheng Guo, Yulu Zheng, Deqiang Zheng, Xia Li, Xiuhua Guo and Haibin Li, 21 July 2025, Annals of Internal Medicine.
DOI: 10.7326/ANNALS-25-00640
Reference: “Physical Activity in Type 2 Diabetes: Could One or Two Weekly Sessions Be Enough?” by Ronald J. Sigal and Normand G. Boulé, 21 July 2025, Annals of Internal Medicine.
DOI: 10.7326/ANNALS-25-02522
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