With many Americans spending the last couple months isolated in quarantine, it’s understandable that weight and waist sizes are on their way up. For many of us enduring Shelter in Place, physical activity has decreased, boredom and stress have increased. Being stuck at home has made avoiding the siren song of our kitchens, cabinets and refrigerators nearly impossible.
If you put on pandemic pounds or you just want to prevent them, it’s imperative that you get off the couch. Schedule specific times during the day to take a walk, go on a run or put on some music and dance. If you get a few exercise bands off the internet, you can get a quality work out in a few minutes at home.
Invest in a mini-trampoline or re-bounder. It will cost you about $70 or so, about as much as a monthly gym membership. Jumping on it for 5 or 10 minutes a day can improve heart and lung health, strengthen immunity, support lymphatic drainage and detoxification.
Interestingly, you can also expend calories by eating. In fact, up to 10% of the calories we burn every day are the result of the “thermic effect of food” or TEF. Physical activity will increase TEF. So can eating unprocessed grains and veggies. Keep meal frequency low. Several studies have shown that enjoying one larger meal a day can result in up to a 30% increase in TEF, compared with indulging in three or four smaller ones.
