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I've heard all the recommendations about getting 30 to 40 minutes of exercise each day. But with my job and family, I can only exercise on the weekends. If I just increase how much I exercise, is it enough?

You may fall into the category labeled weekend warrior. These are folks who get in at least 150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous exercise each week. But they do it all on one to two days.

The current U.S. guidelines for physical activity is at least 30 minutes each day. The intensity should be moderate. This means it raises your heart rate, you feel sligtly breathless, and you sweat a little. Only about half of the American adult population meet this goal.

And according to a new survey from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), only one to three per cent fall into the weekend warrior category. Most of these are men between the ages of 45 and 64.

Is one method better than another? What kind of activities qualifies as healthy or beneficial? Is playing golf or gardening both days of the weekend enough to get the maximum health benefits?

These are questions we don't have the answers to just yet. The CDC has several studies ongoing to try and find some better answers. The basic guideline of daily, physical activity and exercise has been shown to reduce the risk of death from heart disease, cancer, and diabetes.

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