Coronavirus Prompts Double
So you’re not working out enough, or as hard as you did pre-lockdown, and you think this is a problem. This may be because, for you, exercise is about controlling your body or compensating for what you’ve been eating — yet another belief to be discarded.
While the country needs us to stay indoors at this time, it does not require us to eat more, become inactive and gain weight. In fact, to the contrary, this is the time for us to evolve as individuals and make amends for whatever may be wrong in our lifestyles. To that extent, winning over this tendency to eat more and exercise less, is also a mind game.
There are two additional but lesser-known benefits of exercise, which are particularly relevant in crisis periods. First, exercise is a very good immunity booster – which may be needed should one, unfortunately, get infected with the coronavirus. Secondly, exercise is a mood elevator and has anti-anxiety effects. Exercise, due to the release of chemicals called endorphins, leads to a feeling of happiness and reduces feelings of anxiety and depression.
In the beginning, it was tempting to eat like it was a snow day and rely on shelf-stable comfort food, and evidence shows that’s exactly what most of us did. But she says that it’s important to ask yourself if you’re doing it in a way that truly makes you happy. A study out of the University of Michigan found that poor hydration is associated with higher body mass index and filling up on water can prevent overeating. In that case, here's what you can do to avoid gaining weight during lockdown. With stress snacking up and gym workouts down during the coronavirus outbreak, you might start noticing a mid-section bulge that was not there before.
Add working from home with easy kitchen access in the mix, and you may find yourself with a waist training couple extra pounds. The government agency also cited a study from Health Affairs that estimated annual medical costs for people who are obese were $1,429 higher than their nonobese counterparts in the early 2000s. In 2008, the estimated annual medical cost of obesity in the U.S. was $147 billion.
I thought I’d kissed goodbye to restrictive dieting many years ago; my approach is not about strictly avoiding food, this is never something I advise nor practise myself. But that’s exactly what I did; eating minimal quantities with very strict meal timing and avoiding anything that looked vaguely appetizing or interesting!
For example, a study in 24 older adults with excess weight and obesity showed that drinking 16.9 ounces of water before breakfast reduced the number of calories eaten at that meal by 13% . Soda, sweet tea, and sports drinks are typically loaded with added sugar and lack important nutrients like vitamins and minerals. These drinks not only raise your calorie intake but also your risk of weight gain .
Nor did they control for how doctors’ biases influence the way they care for higher-weight patients. But strong evidence exists that obesity puts you at greater risk of dying from Covid-19. Exercise is important for all people as it contributes to muscle tone, calorie burn and self-respect. Treat this part of the day like a meeting or an appointment; it’s non-negotiable to skip. Also, avoid eliminating whole food groups from your diet, unless directed by your primary care provider for a health condition.