Weekend gym rats might be onto something. Weekend warriors, who put recommended amounts of exercise into one or two gym sessions（时段）, experience similar health benefits to those who work out several times a week, according to a new study. And those benefits include a longer life. “It is encouraging news that working out in just one or two days per week is connected to a lower risk of demise, even among people who do some activities but don't quite meet recommended exercise levels,” the lead researcher Emmanuel Stamatakis says in a statement.

    The World Health Organization recommends that adults perform two and a half hours of moderate-intensity（中等强度的）physical exercise, or an hour and 25 minutes of more energetic exercise per week. Usually this is done within several days, with experts suggesting that adults get up to 30 minutes of regular exercise each day. However, the new study suggests that busy people may be able to meet the standards when they have more free time, such as at weekends, and stay healthy all the same.

    Researchers studied data from more than 63,000 men and women in England and Scotland, including data about their activity habits and risks for death. The researchers put each individual in one of four groups: those who described themselves as inactive, those who exercised but less than what was recommended, those who exercised in the “weekend warrior” style, and those who worked out regularly more than three days a week.

    Adults who exercised in the “weekend warrior” style had a 40 percent lower risk of cardiovascular（心血管的）disease and a 30 percent lower risk of death by any cause than those who did not exercise at all. The lower risks of cardiovascular disease and overall death were similar to the risks of people who worked out regularly over the week.

    But take a pause before you give up your weekday gym habit. Just a couple of light sessions won't be enough to get benefits: “Weekend warrior” exercise sessions are usually 75-minute energetic workouts, according to the study.

    The results are promising overall, if you just simply can't fit physical activities into most days. The key here is that exercise is truly a lifeline（救生索）: It reduces your risk of illnesses like heart disease, diabetes, cancer and depression, according to the WHO. So, if you are just too busy on weekdays, let go of the guilt（内疚）. Just make sure to hit the gym hard at weekends.