A new study shows that — not surprisingly — some people’s healthy habits have fallen away during the coronavirus pandemic, leading to weight gain and doubled anxiety levels.
For the study, which was published in the journal Obesity the researchers found that healthy eating actually increased during the pandemic “due to less eating out and increased cooking.” But people also reported snacking more, as well as consuming more sweets and sugar-sweetened beverages.
They also started moving their bodies less often during the pandemic. The amount of time people spent being physically active (as well as the intensity of their workouts) went down, while sedentary behaviors went up.
It’s worth noting that participants who reported gaining weight made few changes to their eating habits, but had the largest declines in physical activity. By comparison, those who lost weight not only improved their healthy eating habits, but they were also more physically active.
Not surprisingly, stress levels shot up during the pandemic, with reported anxiety scores nearly doubling because of COVID-19 and stay-at-home orders. In addition, 20 percent reported that their anxiety was severe enough to affect their daily routines.
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