By Esther Diaz
CSMS Magazine
There is a direct relationship between your diet, physical activity, and health. Your nutrition is a key player when it comes to physical, mental, and social well-being. And it is important for preventing disease. Lifestyle factors may also determine if you are going to get sick or remain healthy. One of those factors is physical activity.
A sedentary lifestyle is usually associated with an increased risk for chronic disease, loss of movement, and decreased immune health. For those reasons, physical activity and movement are extremely important during the coronavirus pandemic. COVID-19 has changed many of our daily routines in a way no one anticipated.
Many of us are at home more to minimize exposure. Isolation and being at home can illicit the temptation to eat snacks high in sodium, junk food and low-quality meals that provide instant gratification for our taste buds rather than nutrient-dense whole foods that can also be delicious. This is a challenge for many in these times of social distancing and self-isolation. The days when physical activities like walking from your car at your workplace parking lot twice per day, shopping for groceries, outings with the family or visiting shopping malls are over—for now.
With this unprecedented lifestyle shift, there is a potential for the normalization of a more sedentary lifestyle packed with activities like watching television, sitting while reading for long periods, or sitting at your computer for longer-than-usual periods of time. We must stay proactive, and in some cases creative, to maintain an active lifestyle in the era of social distancing. Even if you are not directly affected by COVID-19, or tested positive, it absolutely has had a drastic impact on your day-to-day routine, which could negatively affect your overall health.
Note: Esther Diaz is a health education teacher who lives in suburban Atlanta. She is our contributor.
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