Covid-19 has impacted many people around the world in a multitude of ways, but how has it impacted people’s weight loss journeys? A recent qualitative study looked at the impact of the first 6 week lockdown in Australia, on 58 people who were on self-managed weight loss journeys[1]. Participant demographics suggested that most of the participants were highly educated, English speaking women who were either married or living with a partner. The participant age range covered a broad group of ages (21% 18-39; 41% 40-55; 38% 56+) and most of them had a self-reported weight above healthy ranges (82%), with most within the range of obesity (62%).
The participants completed a Covid-19 related survey which resulted in:
- 60% of participants reporting that their diet strategy for weight loss has been impacted
- 52% of participants reporting that their exercise strategy had also been impacted
It was also reported, in line with the general population, that they succumbed to:
- High levels of stress eating and eating out of boredom
- Higher consumption of junk foods
In relation to exercise it was reported that the lack of access to exercise facilities and social exercising made it harder to maintain their exercise strategy. However, there were some positive impacts that were reported:
- More time
- Home-cooked food
- Modified exercise regime
- Less stress
Thus, it was concluded that although the majority of the participants were higher-educated, and therefore more likely to be better equipped at maintaining appropriate weight-related behaviours, they were still very much overwhelmed in lockdown. Furthermore, there was also the suggestion that there needs to be a broader range of options available for people to exercise from home. Therefore, this brings the topic of online training to the forefront and its benefits for people who have struggled throughout lockdown. Online training provides the resources and guidance to exercise at home in an effective and safe manner. Throughout the current pandemic, online training has been utilised to help people achieve their health and fitness goals. This trend is growing and developing to provide people an alternative to just training in the gym and will most likely continue post-pandemic. Although many people will still want to hit the gyms! There are still many people who will want access to online health and fitness services.
References
[1] RAMACHANDRAN, D and T. GILL., 2020. Impact of COVID-19 Lockdown on Self-Managed Weight Loss Journeys. Obesity Research & Clinical Practice, 14(4), 386-387
Comentarios