With anxiety high all over the country I am hearing about people worrying more about their weight right now. Should we be?
Lockdown means that we are at home, staying safe, but also for a lot of us that means more opportunity to eat, more snacks on hand and less activity. Yes you may be jumping off the sofa to join in a workout but your other daily activity may not be happening. Think about walking to work/the school run, walking up and down stairs or around your place of work, having to go out to buy lunch maybe. I’m an active person and I know I’ve been finding it harder to stay moving as much as possible in lockdown.
Our anxiety can mean that we eat more, usually more sweet foods. Then there has been the lockdown baking! It has become a trend to bake more homemade breads, cakes and goodies, which then means you have to eat them.
None of this in my opinion is wrong, we are in an unusual season and we need to be kind to ourselves. It is good to be aware of what you are eating and how much you are moving. If it worries you then think about how you could be more active, fit a few small walks into your day, or plan to stop working and do a little workout for 15 minutes a few times a day. Find what works for you. I’ve been loving seeing some people’s creativity, a guy opposite us has his weight outside the house and does his training out there. I’m teaching Pilates most evenings and this has been really helping people destress and move at the same time. Maybe plan in when you will bake so that there are some days where the cake tin is empty maybe. However if a bit of cake is helping you through this season then that is also ok.
Last week I was interviewed by the BBC on this very topic and it lead to a very well written article, if you have been struggling with this topic then I’d love you to check it out.