Author: Eric Jiang
Editor: Ken Saito
Artist: Jiaqi Fan
Have you been wondering what else the world is losing due to the pandemic? Maybe it’s the money inside everyone’s wallet, the formal education students should receive in school, or the spicy chicken McNuggets that are only served for a short amount of time. Of course, these are serious issues facing the world today, but there’s also one more health problem that many disregards as COVID-19 has been the priority health issue.
According to the Frontier of Endocrinology, Brazilian researchers estimate a reduction of 35% in levels of physical activity and a rise of 28% in sedentary behavior in the initial months of confinement imposed by the pandemic. When practicing social distancing and staying from home, people have not only prevented the spread of the coronavirus but also reduced the number of physical activities. Common phenomena are the reduction of people spending time in the gym, sports club, park, and many other outside activities.
As stated in the article, “Scientists believe the reduction in physical activity experienced during the first few months of the pandemic could lead to an annual increase of more than 11.1 million in new cases of type 2 diabetes and result in more than 1.7 million deaths.”
Exercising during the pandemic was never an actual problem. Searching online or Youtube for indoor exercise would be a great way to stretch your arms and legs without much difficulty. If you got friends on Zoom or other social media, you could even host an online dancing party, except remember to close all your window curtains, or else your neighbors might think you’re crazy.
A walk around a nearby park would always be nice, and house cleaning also guarantees your body gets enough health benefits from movements. Staring at a computer screen for too long will be tiresome for both your eye and brain. Take some breaks for yourself to stretch and gain exercises, even a few jumping jacks will be perfect.
Don’t let the pandemic affect you both directly and indirectly. Eat healthily, sleep tight, practice daily exercise, and your body will be prepared to face anything.
Citations:
AgenciaFAPESP. “Lack of Physical Exercise during COVID-19 Confinement May Lead to a
Rise in Mortality.” EurekAlert!, 19 Jan. 2021,
www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-01/fda-lop011921.php.
the American Heart Association. “Creative Ways to Exercise during the Pandemic.”
Www.heart.org, 29 Sept. 2020,
www.heart.org/en/news/2020/09/29/creative-ways-to-exercise-during-the-pandemic.
Medicine Plus. “Health Risks of an Inactive Lifestyle.” MedlinePlus, U.S. National Library of
Medicine, 5 May 2021, medlineplus.gov/healthrisksofaninactivelifestyle.html.