Diet, exercise more critical amid coronavirus

If your life these days is anything like mine, a pre-pandemic routine that included regular exercise and disciplined eating has probably given way to sedentary evenings binge-watching TV while guzzling chocolate ice cream or mac ’n’ cheese.

But let’s not beat ourselves up about it. Several doctors I spoke with recently said most of their patients are struggling to maintain healthy habits amid the anxiety of the pandemic. “The Quarantine 15” (pounds, that is) is a real phenomenon.

The double challenge of protecting our health, including our immune systems, while battling unhealthy temptations “is a struggle everyone is dealing with,” says Dr. David Kilgore, director of the integrative medicine program at the University of California, Irvine.

Well before COVID-19, more than 40 percent of U.S. adults were obese, which puts them at risk for COVID-19’S worst outcomes. But even people accustomed to physical fitness and good nutrition are having trouble breaking the bad habits developed during coronavirus-imposed lockdowns.

Karen Clark, of Knoxville, Tennessee, discovered competitive rowing later in life, and her multiple weekly workouts burned off any excess calories she consumed. But the pandemic changed everything: She could no longer meet up with her teammates to row and stopped working out at the YMCA.

Suddenly, she was cooped up at home. And, as for many people, that led to a more sedentary lifestyle.

“I reverted to comfort food and comfortable routines and watching an awful lot of Netflix and Amazon Prime, just like everybody else,”

Clark says. “When I gained 10 pounds and I was 25, I just cut out the beer and ice cream for a week. When you gain 12

pounds at 62, it’s a long road back.”

She started along that road in July, when she stopped buying chips, ice cream and other treats. And in August, she rediscovered the rowing machine in her basement.

But don’t worry if you lack Clark’s discipline, or a rowing machine. You still can regain some control over your life.

A good way to start is to establish basic daily routines, since in many cases that’s exactly what the pandemic has taken away, says Dr. W. Scott Butsch, director of obesity medicine at the Cleveland Clinic’s Bariatric and Metabolic Institute. He recommends you “bookend” your day with physical activity, which can be as simple as a short walk in the morning and a longer one after work.

If you haven’t exercised in a while, “start slow and gradually get yourself up to where you can tolerate an elevated heart rate,” says Dr. Leticia Polanco, a family medicine doctor with the South Bay Primary Medical Group, just south of San Diego. If your gym is closed or you can’t get together with your regular exercise buddies, there are plenty of ways to get your body moving at home or in your neighborhood, she says.

Go for a walk, a run or a bike ride. For those who’d rather stay indoors, think of your house as a cleverly disguised gym. Put on music and dance, or hula-hoop, Polanco suggests. You can also pump iron if you have dumbbells, or find a TV channel with yoga or other workout programs.

If you search on the internet for “exercise videos,” you will find countless workouts. Try one of the seven-minute workout apps so popular these days; you can download them from Google Play or the Apple Store.

If you miss the camaraderie of exercising with others, virtual fitness groups can provide motivation and accountability, as well as livestreamed video workouts with like-minded exercisers.

Many gyms also are offering live digital fitness classes and physical training sessions.

Whatever form of exercise you choose, remember it won’t keep you healthy unless you also reduce consumption of fatty and sugary foods.

Kim Guess, a dietitian at the University of California, Berkeley, recommends that people lay in a healthy supply of beans and lentils, whole grains, nuts and seeds, as well as frozen vegetables, tofu, tempeh and canned fish, such as tuna and salmon.

“Start with something really simple,” she said. “It could even be a vegetable side dish to go with what they’re used to preparing.”

Whatever first steps you decide to take, now is a good time to start eating better and moving your body more.