The Weekend Warrior’s Secret Weapons
We all know that daily exercise is important to health and longevity. But, let’s face it, sometimes busy schedules make it hard to find time for daily exercise and physical activity during the week. Long commutes, longer work days, increased work pressures, and family obligations can interfere with even the best intentions for keeping an exercise routine. So, it’s pretty normal to look forward to an active fun-filled weekend- after all, that’s what inspired the famous acronym TGIF.
For a long time it was believed (and we were told) that exercise or activity only a couple of days a week wasn’t good enough to positively impact health; that being a “weekend warrior” had high risk and no benefit. Well, a 2017 study published in JAMA Internal Medicine received a lot of media attention and put that myth to rest. In fact, weekend warriors who performed 150 minutes of moderate activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity during only 1 or 2 sessions per week (the weekend) had almost the same health outcomes as the consistent exercisers and had much better outcomes than the people in the study who did not exercise at all.
So is there a downside to being a weekend warrior and packing tons of exercise and activity into just two days? Yes, being a weekend warrior can be hard on the body, and there is an increased risk of muscle and joint injuries. Whether it’s a sprained ankle or a pulled muscle, weekend warrior injuries have one thing in common—inflammation. Inflammation from occasional overuse and overexertion is the weekend warrior’s enemy. What to do? Commit to an easy integrative plan to support and protect muscles and joints, not just on the weekend, but everyday.
Exercise can be hard on the body as it increases the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and is basically an inflammatory event. While exercise is health-promoting, the actual activity itself creates inflammation. An integrative plan to support a healthy inflammatory response is a weekend warrior’s secret weapon of defense.
Anti-inflammatory Diet
First, a whole-foods, unprocessed, anti-inflammatory diet, (like the Mediterranean Diet, full of antioxidants and polyphenolic compounds) is the best way to support a healthy immune system and a healthy inflammatory response. Fish, because of its’ omega 3 content, is an important aspect of the Mediterranean diet, and one of the reasons it’s so healthy.
Fish Oil
To supplement an imperfect diet, most people turn to fish oil to get adequate omega-3, specifically EPA and DHA. Several double-blind, placebo-controlled trials have shown that EPA and DHA specifically help support muscle mass, muscle strength and muscle health in general related to exercise. In addition, overexertion can weaken immunity but the good news is research shows that fish oil helps support the immune system, while supporting cardiovascular function as well.
According to the authors of a 2019 review looking at the relationship between omega-3 fatty acids (including EPA and DHA) and exercise published in the journal Nutrients, “Exercise activates multiple molecular and biochemical pathways…and there are increasing data points indicating that these are sensitive to nutritional influences.”
Taking a fish oil supplement on a daily basis keeps omega-3 fatty acids at adequate levels in the body, even if your diet is less than pristine. It will also proactively support muscles, joints, and many other body systems at the cellular level.* Fish oil should be considered a daily foundational supplement for everyone, but especially the weekend warrior, due to its ability to support the immune system, and healthy inflammation on an ongoing basis.
Turmeric or Curcumin
There is one botanical that every active person should consider as a daily foundation: turmeric extract or curcumin-which are considered safe for daily use with few contraindications.
Both turmeric, and it’s primary polyphenol curcumin, have been the subject of many research studies showing they can support health on many levels, especially healthy inflammatory response. It’s widely known that exercise is an oxidative event, and curcumin is a very potent antioxidant polyphenol which can neutralize both ROS and RNS free radicals. In a 2017 randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial published in the Asian Journal of Sports Medicine, curcumin supplementation had “positive effects on selected indices of exercise-induced oxidative stress possibly via promotion of antioxidant capacity.” In this study, participants took 90 mg of curcumin or a placebo for seven days prior to testing.
Many studies have confirmed that curcumin supports healthy inflammation and may help people with joint and muscle pain from overexertion, as well as support faster exercise recovery. It’s helpful to remember that curcumin is a potent antioxidant with many additional health benefits beyond joint and muscle support, and strong justification for including curcumin in a regimen of daily foundational supplements.
Systemic Enzymes
Systemic Enzymes are also great for weekend warriors to support muscle recovery after overexertion. Clinical research and a long history of use has shown that proteolytic enzymes When taken orally on an empty stomach, these enzymes are primarily absorbed in the small intestine where they enter body fluids and tissues. A 2009 study published in the Journal of International Society of Sports Nutrition demonstrated efficacy with a product that contained proteolytic enzymes combined with curcumin. A 2004 study published in the Journal of Sports Science demonstrated that proteolytic enzymes reduced muscle soreness after downhill running. Another randomized, two-stage, double-blind, placebo-controlled study where the researchers gave systemic enzymes before and after exhaustive exercise demonstrated significant favorable effects on biomarkers of inflammation. That study was published in the journal BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine in 2017.
Weekend warriors are advised to do at least 10 minutes of stretching before and after their activities, as well as staying well hydrated throughout the entire week. And, armed with a daily integrative nutrition plan targeted toward a healthy inflammatory response, warriors can more confidently set out to conquer the weekend!