Fun Weekend Habit Eases Anxiety

Feeling anxious?

You’re not alone.

Around 14% of middle-aged and senior Americans struggle with anxiety in their daily lives.

But a fun weekend activity can drastically or completely eliminate your anxiety, according to a new study in BMC Psychiatry.

The researchers analyzed data from the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, focusing on 13,740 adults.

The average age was 47, with most participants ranging from 47 up to their mid-60s.

They grouped people into four categories based on how often and how much they exercised.

1. Inactive with no regular physical activity.
2. Insufficiently active with some activity, but not enough to meet health guidelines.
3. Regularly active with exercise spread out over three or more days per week.
4. Weekend warriors with only one to two days of exercise per week, but hitting the recommended amount of exercise.

And here is what they found.

1. Weekend warriors had a 35% lower risk of anxiety compared to inactive individuals.

2. Those who exercised regularly (more than two days per week) also had a lower risk: about 25% less than inactive people.

3. Even people who were insufficiently active had a 29% reduced risk of anxiety compared to their inactive peers.

4. The amount of total weekly exercise mattered more than how often it was done.

5. The anxiety-lowering effect was especially strong in people with diabetes and those with lower incomes.

6. Age, gender, education level, and other personal factors did not change the link between weekend exercise and anxiety, so it works just as well for the elderly as it does for people in their 30s.

These findings are astounding. They basically show that people who do their weekly exercise in two days are the least anxious of us all.

This might be because most people find a daily exercise routine stressful in itself.

So, aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise like brisk walking per week, even if it all happens on Saturday and Sunday.

A fun weekend hike, bike ride, or gardening session can even count.

But there’s a way to completely eliminate anxiety from your life. Thousands of readers have done just that using the simple steps explained here…