The COVID-19 pandemic strikes us unexpectedly. During the pandemic, the most popular measure was a lockdown and social distancing. Although the lockdown was effective for suppressing COVID-19, we often overlook other “side effects.” The results were an increased rate of unhealthy behaviors such as a sedentary lifestyle and insufficient physical activity levels. The majority of people were home, sitting more than they usually do. It has been hard for a lot of us to do the sort of exercise we typically do. It’s even more challenging for people who don’t usually do a lot of physical activity. Sedentary behavior can lead to increased risk of cardiovascular diseases1, obesity2, and overall, lower quality of life.3 Working from home brings many benefits, but on the other side cuts off our social life and decreases our leisure activity. In addition to all of this mentioned, many people do not know how to exercise correctly. Being physically active and being in great shape have some costs. For example, some reports highlighted that moderate‐intensity exercise is beneficial for the immune system. Still, the high intensity and not adequately designed training sessions can lead to immune suppression in the hours and days following a workout, leading to a higher infection risk.4 It’s like medication; you need to know the proper dose. If we overuse our bodies, we will pay in one way or another. This short article will highlight the impacts of sedentary behaviors on health and give future directions based on the latest scientific research.

COVID-19 and sedentary behavior

From the very beginning, we knew that COVID-19 was highly infectious. So naturally, we limited our daily life routines. Decreased physical activity leads to several health problems. For example, children and adolescents engaged in 435 min less physical activity and spent 28 more hours in screen time per week since the COVID-19 outbreak.5 Most people think that practicing at the Gym will solve all of their weight management and health problems. The reality is that small wins and everyday activities, such as walking, climbing stairs, doing housework, etc., will take us to the promised land. Changing lifestyle habits are the most important thing, and in the long run, it will bring success. A similar result was observed in the study conducted in Canada,6 where children and youths had lower physical activity levels, higher sedentary behavior, and increased screen time. Children need to be physically active more than adults because they are growing and developing. Besides, comparable results have been reported for adults, and 40.5% of the already inactive population is becoming less active.7 Today, we live in a time of two pandemics, one will pass (COVID-19), but the other one will be here for a long time if we do not change our lifestyles.

COVID-19 and obesity

What were the factors that influenced such a dramatic change in ourselves? One group of researchers revealed that most of the surveyed subjects feared COVID-19 infection (43.8%), preferred home-cooked food (25.2%), and less involvement in eating out and socializing were the prime reasons for the improvement in healthy eating and decline in junk food consumption.8 Psychosocial stress reactions have been found to increase energy intake and increase the risk of developing obesity.9 Emotional eating, often used to relieve negative feelings, might increase under these circumstances. The elimination of social eating practices could encourage a reduction in mindful eating, which might negatively influence dietary choices and promote overeating.10 Without a doubt, COVID-19 increased the already existing problem of obesity. We live in fear, and even the situation is dramatic, there is always something good that we can do for ourselves. We must take the initiative.

Light in the dark

We can always be pessimists, but let’s look at the COVID-19 as an opportunity to learn new lessons. Here are a few things this pandemic has taught us:

  • Family matters more than we realized
  • Physical activity is a new medicine
  • We have unleashed a new revolution/evolution in medicine
  • Importance of Self-Care 
  • We befriended technology, and there’s no going back
  • Loneliness hurts health more than we thought
  • We need to think and take care of our nature
  • New job possibilities

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References

  1. Ford, E. S., & Caspersen, C. J. (2012). Sedentary behaviour and cardiovascular disease: a review of prospective studies. International journal of epidemiology, 41(5), 1338-1353.
  2. Shields, M., & Tremblay, M. S. (2008). Sedentary behaviour and obesity. Health reports, 19(2), 19.
  3. Boberska, M., Szczuka, Z., Kruk, M., Knoll, N., Keller, J., Hohl, D. H., & Luszczynska, A. (2018). Sedentary behaviours and health-related quality of life. A systematic review and meta-analysis. Health psychology review, 12(2), 195-210.
  4. Simpson, R. J., Kunz, H., Agha, N., & Graff, R. (2015). Exercise and the regulation of immune functions. Progress in molecular biology and translational science, 135, 355-380.
  5. Xiang, M., Zhang, Z., & Kuwahara, K. (2020). Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on children and adolescents’ lifestyle behavior larger than expected. Progress in cardiovascular diseases, 63(4), 531.
  6. Moore, S. A., Faulkner, G., Rhodes, R. E., Brussoni, M., Chulak-Bozzer, T., Ferguson, L. J., … & Tremblay, M. S. (2020). Impact of the COVID-19 virus outbreak on movement and play behaviours of Canadian children and youth: a national survey. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 17(1), 1-11.
  7. Lesser, I. A., & Nienhuis, C. P. (2020). The impact of COVID-19 on physical activity behavior and well-being of Canadians. International journal of environmental research and public health, 17(11), 3899.
  8. Chopra, S., Ranjan, P., Singh, V., Kumar, S., Arora, M., Hasan, M. S., … & Baitha, U. (2020). Impact of COVID-19 on lifestyle-related behaviours-a cross-sectional audit of responses from nine hundred and ninety-five participants from India. Diabetes & Metabolic Syndrome: Clinical Research & Reviews, 14(6), 2021-2030.
  9. Bhutani, S., & Cooper, J. A. (2020). COVID-19–related home confinement in adults: Weight gain risks and opportunities. Obesity, 28(9), 1576-1577.
  10. Leech, R. M., Worsley, A., Timperio, A., & McNaughton, S. A. (2015). Understanding meal patterns: definitions, methodology and impact on nutrient intake and diet quality. Nutrition research reviews, 28(1), 1-21.