As we all know, we are officially over a year since COVID-19 started and since the big quarantine. One unfortunate trend that's occurred over the past 12 months is WEIGHT GAIN. Like the well known term "Freshman 15", now the term "Quarantine 19" has become a well used saying. The COVID-19 quarantine literally sped up the pace of weight gain in America exponentially. This is a scary thing! America was already the country with the highest percentage of overweight and obese citizens in the world, and now we've added more to this. Even more concerning is that obesity has been one of, if not THE biggest risk factors for those who get severe illness with COVID-19.
Why has this happened? Why have so many Americans let their weight and their health get out of control this past year?
Here's a few of my hypotheses –
People have been home more....and when you're home all day with nothing to do, snacking becomes so easy! 68% of Americans say that they are snacking more now than they were a year ago. It's so easy to walk to the pantry and mindlessly grab a bag of chips and have the whole bag gone before you even realize it.
Fast food – yes, many of us have cooked more this past year than we ever have. BUT many have also succumbed to fast food on a normal basis, since for a time it was all that was available outside the house. And with this, many started learning how to use DoorDash, UberEats, etc to add to the convenience of fast/unhealthy food.
People are exercising LESS. This is unreal to me. People have had more time on their hands than ever this past year, and yet less people are exercising on a normal basis. Why? Lack of support. For many, exercise is more fun when you've got friends and accountability partners to do it with. On top of this, so many people now work from home....which dramatically decreases your normal day-to-day calorie burn. Think about it – it doesn't take many calories to go from your bed down the hall to your office and sit completely sedentary all day long. I'm guessing most Americans had trouble “closing their rings” the past 12 months!
Guys, we are a year out. Places are opening back up (HALLELUJAH!!!) There is NO excuse! You can 100% get back on track. And we, at Fueled4Wellness, have the tools to help you. Our nutrition plan will help you adopt a doable LIFESTYLE. It's not extreme, it's effective! And it teaches you how to handle all of life's situations – eating at restaurants, eating while traveling/on vacation, eating at events/parties – which we will hopefully have a lot more of in the near future! So much weight has been gained over the past year. So many people's health has spiraled downward this past year (not due to COVID, but due to PREVENTABLE disease that can be prevented with a healthy lifestyle). It's time to put a stop to it! Let's not let the “Quarantine 19” become the “Quarantine 50” by this time next year. Put your health first...you are so worth it!!