Exercise should be an important part of your life if you want health and longevity. However, you do not have to hit the gym seven days a week. A British study published in JAMA Internal Medicine says there's no reason to abandon exercise completely if you can't do it during the work week.

Packing exercise into your weekend is actually a viable option. Experts recommend that for a healthy life, an individual should exercise at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous activity every week.

Analyzing the data they received from 65,000 subjects, the British scientists discovered that people who exercise at a high rate had about a 30 percent lower risk of early death than people who didn't exercise at all.

People who exercise more often but for shorter blocks of time can also lower their risk for chronic conditions even if they did not complete the 150-minute rule. This means that there is no point in making excuses: All you need to do is to hit the gym on the weekends!