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Let's Get Physical

Media reports relating to our wellbeing often conflict and confuse, and those written about our wellbeing during lockdown have shown no exception. As reported in our article 'The Gift of Time', there is much to suggest that an increased number of people have been taking to exercise during lockdown, and yet concurrently there are also articles reporting that 48% of us have gained weight in the same period (1). So with exercise on the up for many, what else might be contributing to this weight gain?

The obvious answer could be that we are all eating more. We're out of our usual routine and spending more time at home so it's easy for us to fill that void with more frequent meals, comfort snacking, and extra cups of tea and biscuits. Is it that simple? Restaurants are closed so we're not eating out, but supermarkets are empty so we're definitely concerned about food, plus there's still take-out! As our ability to eat out, or even go out has disappeared, food delivery services have sprung up readily, with many restaurants turning to this solution to avoid closure. Take-out can provide both a treat for the family and a well-earned rest from cooking so why not? An Ascensor survey suggests the UK's favourite lockdown delivery food was pizza, followed by, Chinese, curry, burgers and fried chicken (2). At present however, there is little to suggest that take-out is on the increase from our pre-lockdown habits, so this is unlikely to be the root cause of our expanding waistlines.


Many of us have chosen to spend more time in our kitchens during lockdown; we've cooked, and baked, and cooked and baked, and then we've cooked and baked some more. It's been the perfect time to experiment... homemade bread, cakes, pizzas, jams, chutneys, pasta, popcorn, and more. Forays into meat-free, wheat-free, and dairy-free cooking have finally been realised, lockdown providing us the opportunity to commit to a new way of eating and a new routine (3). This was all evidenced, in part by those empty supermarket aisles - where did all of that produce go if not into newfound culinary exploits?


So what have the 'big lockdown sellers' been? A survey of 28,000 corner shops and convenience stores suggests thick white toastie bread, fresh semi-skimmed milk, dairy milk chocolate, red bull, vodka, and of course (the much talked about) classic white toilet paper (4). This would indicate convenience, snaking, and drinking were a priority for many, and this does in someway correlate to our lockdown activities; all the online parties and box-set binges need tipples and treats! While it's acceptable to assume that new eating habits might have contributed to an increase in weight for many, we still believe there something else playing a major role and that's the overall reduction in our general, daily, physical activity.


Yes, we know more people were cycling, jogging, walking etc, we could all see that in the streets and parks, but physical activity does not necessarily mean exercise! Where exercise is considered an activity which is planned, structured, and repetitive, physical activity can encompass working, playing, travelling, recreational pursuits, and household chores (there is also a debate that exercise is defined by an elevated heart rate at least 70% above resting).


The World Health Organisation (WHO) define physical activity as “any bodily movement produced by skeletal muscle that requires energy expenditure” (5).

It's fair to say that a reduction in daily activity levels during lockdown would have been experienced by much of the UK population (66,796, 800 people according to The Office for National Statistics, 24th June 2020). In preparation for this article, we asked a few people we know who use fitness trackers to count their daily steps, what had happened to their daily target during lockdown? Interestingly those who continued to exercise consistently throughout lockdown saw their total step figures drop, as did non-exercisers even though they had taken up walking or jogging. So despite our good intentions, our overall activity levels are still down - meaning we're just not burning the energy we normally would!


It is estimated that on average, a person who is inactive completes approximately 3,000 steps a day (6) 10,000 being difficult to achieve without exercise. To give this some context, 10,000 steps is approximately 5 miles and the minimum level of daily exercise recommended by most authorities. In terms of calorie expenditure, this equates to between 250 and 600 calories in 30 to 60 minutes (varying of course, in accordance to weight, height, and intensity of exercise) (6). So to provide a rough guide a 100g bowl of porridge with two spoons of honey and milk (around 505Kcal) would take a 51 minute run, or 1.5 hours of cycling, or a 3.5 hour clean session to burn off (7). Please bear in mind these figures would vary from person to person as calories used cannot be accurately calculated generally and are at best, only a rough guide when using exercise aids.

So much of our modern lives has moved online and this has been expedited during lockdown. Although there were many for who online shopping was already a regular staple (the evidence was already there that our high streets were in decline), but lockdown also introduced this to many who had never done this before. Of course, the circumstances have made it necessary for a lot of people, but the perhaps the sheer convenience of it will mean that many, even out of lockdown, will still choose to continue to use such services. It may seem like a leap to equate a little internet retail with our increasing waistlines, but there's a whole bunch of physical activity involved in a trip to the supermarket that we perhaps take for granted. Standing, walking, stair-climbing, carrying loads, not to mention the feel-good factors of getting fresh air and interacting with others are all things we forgo when we simply log-in and check-out. And let's remember that we are not just talking about a weekly grocery shop, there is now so much we can do without going anywhere; banking, paying bills, take-away delivery and shopping for just about everything we could ever need! You have to wonder, what the cost of this is? Are we at risk of becoming a nation of online shoppers who consider convenience before anything else?


We realise that during the past few months new habits have been established, but we need to be careful that this does not become our 'normal'. We believe the lack of physical activity due to the isolation of lockdown has at the very least, contributed to an increase in weight for many. If we constantly look for convenience, the outcome could very well be a population at greater risk. Lack of physical activity has been noted as an increased risk factor to health. The WHO has noted that reduced levels of physical activity are a major issue globally. They claim that 1 in 4 adults, and 80% of adolescents are not active enough, even in a pre-lockdown environment, contributing to cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer (5).


A combination of exercise, daily activity and social interaction is vital for our general wellbeing. Our bodies need movement to assist in the maintenance of musculo-skeletal strength and mobility, and our lymphatic system (part of our immune system) also needs movement to help eliminate toxins from our bodies; helping in the transfer of white blood cells and nutrients back into our circulation. We cannot therefore, eliminate physical activity from our daily routines and think it will not affect our health or our body composition.


While we're not set against convenience in life, we believe like all good things, there needs to be a balance. Utilise the new and emerging technology we have available, but don't let it replace life and living. The maintenance of good health comes from many sources; sensible quantities and quality of food choices, regular exercise, daily physical activity, mental stimulation, social interaction, exposure to daylight, relaxation, fresh air and so on. So when eventually we are let out, let's make the most of it!

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