We are all confined within our homes to avoid exposure to COVID-19 and flatten the curve.
But what many people have not considered is the threat lockdown poses to your body weight. This is because you will largely be living a sedentary lifestyle inside your home during the lockdown.
We can’t go out except to buy essentials. That means, right now we are all having to follow a sedentary lifestyle. Our movements are constrained within the boundaries of our home.
Leading a sedentary life is one of the primary causes of weight gain.
Secondly, since we don’t have much to do, people are binge-watching TV shows every day and what is that one thing we do when we are watching our favourite shows? We eat unhealthy snacks. People also eat to fight off boredom.
So, inactivity and binge eating will make us gain weight during the lockdown. Once you start putting on weight, it can spiral. Soon you will be faced with health issues like diabetes and heart disorders.
But did you know that you can also easily keep your weight down during the lockdown?
Many people exercise outside. They work out in the gym or they like to go swimming, jogging, walking, cycling, etc. But since we have to maintain social distancing, you can’t go to gyms or parks to exercise.
So what should these people as well as people who never work out do? Well, improvise by working out without much equipment inside the house!
Many free hand exercises can prevent weight gain and help to lose weight. The exercises are –
A full-body exercise that will shed weight from all parts of the body and keep the bones strong.
Another cardio exercise that works out all parts of your body. They are also good for strengthening the muscles of the arms and legs.
Intersperse your rope jumps or burpees with squat jumps. They are good for your knees and keep the whole body flexible.
There are many cardio-based dance routines you can learn on YouTube. Besides, dancing is fun and entertaining too.
A great way to reduce belly weight.
Mix up the different cardio exercises. Do a single workout session for 20-30 minutes including all of these exercises. Do them at least 5 times a week.
Apart from exercising, try to stay active as much as possible inside the house by doing household chores.
Read More: 7 Health Benefits of Exercise
Exercise is effective but to enhance the benefits of exercise, you have to eat right.
Since you will not be burning many calories, you have to moderate your calorie consumption. Focus more on foods containing fibre and protein that keep you full for a long time such as pulse and fruits with their skin.
Choose multi-grains or whole-grain wheat and whole-grain brown or black rice. Whole grains keep your metabolism active.
Drink 8-10 glasses of water daily. Water suppresses appetite and speeds up metabolism as well.
Eat fresh vegetables as they give your body vital nutrients without adding unnecessary calories.
If you feel hungry between meals or want to munch on something while you watch Netflix, opt for-
Also Read: Does Skipping Reduce Weight? Examining the Facts and Myths
Many people continue to gain weight despite exercising because they are eating too much. That is why doctors recommend eating three small meals. Make sure you don’t fill your tummy during a meal.
If you feel hungry later on, you can always eat a few healthy snacks.
A disciplined exercise routine and restraint when it comes to food can keep you in shape during the lockdown. Besides, healthy food and workout will also improve your immunity against COVID-19.
Above all, stay at home to protect yourself.
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We have all pulled one-nighters a few times in our lives to complete school assignments, to catch up on some pending work or watch our favourite teams in action. But staying up all night is not advisable. Sleep deprivation can have terrible consequences for your health.
When you stay up all night, you are going against the established routine and rhythm of your body. Human beings by evolution are diurnal-sleep during the night and work during the daytime. This is ingrained in our body clock, which regulates all the functions of our bodies. So, any disruption of this clock will impact the entire body. So, if you do an all-nighter, you may expect the following symptoms:
The immediate fallout of foregoing sleep for a night will be sleepiness the next morning. You are likely to feel extremely bleary, lethargic and disoriented when you go about your everyday work the next day. It may make you slow and inefficient.
Your brain will feel foggy the day after you pull an all-nighter. Your cognitive abilities will slow down and you will have trouble in recollection. If you go many nights without sleep, you will slowly begin to have problems differentiating between real and false memories. You may even find it difficult to form new memories.
You may find yourself forgetting your simple things, such as where you placed an object or a task that you were supposed to complete.
Your body clock monitors your metabolism. Staying up all night will meddle with the secretion of hormones that are responsible for the feelings of hunger and satiety. You are likely to feel hungrier if you are sleep deprived. And if you surrender to your constant hunger pangs, you will soon start putting on weight.
Not sleeping at all interferes with your insulin production. And when metabolism too is affected, it could cause a rapid rise of sugar level in your blood.
Emotions are often the by-product of hormones and chemicals. An all-nighter will throw them off balance. Everybody knows that sleep loss can make a person irritable and cranky.
What’s worse is that a sleepless night slows the function of that part of your brain that makes plans and decisions. This can make you impulsive and impair your judgment and you may find yourself making rash decisions that will harm you in the future.
Because an all-nighter adversely affects your metabolism, you could notice signs of a stomach disorder. Moreover, very little sleep makes your immunity weak. That is why if you go out after you pull an all-nighter, your body will be vulnerable to pathogens. You could contract allergies, the common cough and cold or the flu.
Try to avoid all-nighters at all costs. Whatever be the reason, your health is your most valuable possession. Staying up all night will hurt your health. To reschedule your life in a way that you don’t have to stay up all night.
Also Read: Quality Of Sleep Vs. The Quantity – Which Is More Important?
Disclaimer: The above information has been prepared by a qualified medical professional and may not represent the practices followed universally. The suggestions listed in this article constitute relatively common advice given to patients and since every patient is different, you are advised to consult your physician, if in doubt, before acting upon this information. Lupin Limited has only facilitated the distribution of this information to you in the interest of patient education and welfare.
