Study Finds Great News for People Who Hate Going to the Gym Every Day

(This photo was taken on a Saturday. We promise.)

Hate having to drag yourself to the gym after work? A new JAMA study suggests people who exercise only on the weekend enjoy much of the same benefits as weekday gym-goers.

Researchers at Loughborough University in the U.K. who reviewed data on more than 63,500 mostly white adults found those who completed the recommended weekly amount of exercise — 150 minutes of moderate exercise or 75 minutes of high-intensity workouts — over several days of the week had only a slightly lower risk of death from cancer and heart disease than "weekend warriors" who completed the same exercise in just one or two days, reports Quartz.

Compared to participants who didn't work out at all, people who worked out multiple times a week were 35 percent less likely to die during the study period, while the percentage dipped to 30 percent for those who waited until the weekend, reports Reuters.

"Quality may be more important than quantity," the study author says.

A cardiology expert at the University of Pennsylvania who was not involved with the observational study tells CBS News that he finds the results "quite fascinating and a bit surprising." He says it reinforces the idea that those strapped for time should exercise when they can, even if it's just one day a week.