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Can we ease the mental strain of lockdown with exercise? Undoubtedly so. A recent study from Iowa State University that looked at exercise and mental health in lockdown found that those who stayed active felt less depressed and more resilient than those who became more sedentary as the pressures of homeworking, uncertainty and restrictions took hold.
However, the pressure to exercise can also, in its own way, feel stressful. The Department of Health currently recommends adults should ‘do at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity a week or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity activity a week’ to reap benefits, including improved mental health.
Have you found your mind wandering during lockdown?
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As the rules keep changing, and the news grows more jaw-dropping, our ability to remain focused on daily activities – on almost anything else – feels more and more elusive.
In some ways that’s not surprising. In 2010 Matthew Killingsworth and Daniel Gilbert at Harvard developed a phone app that asked 2,250 users to record what they were thinking and feeling, as well as what they were doing, at random times throughout the day. Results revealed mind wandering occurred 46.9 per cent of the time – then under “ordinary” circumstances. Now, when we’re facing a constant threat and changing rules, no doubt that figure is much higher.
Mehreen Baig investigates the best ways to get fit
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Among the many aspects of our lives shaken up by the pandemic is the way we exercise. During the first lockdown, with gyms closed and millions of us ditching our commutes, we saw an explosion in the popularity of home workouts. Joe Wicks was the most high profile of an array of fitness influencers, offering live daily classes online to help the country keep fit without leaving the house. We didn’t need the gym, it transpired; we didn’t even need to put our trainers on.
Meet the men who got lean in the last lockdown – and find out what you can learn from them
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Nick Harris and Ben Lloyd got into shape during lockdown
While millions of Brits sought escape from the restrictions of last summer’s lockdown through exercise, some seized the opportunity to transform the way they look and feel.
“I finished my first session lying on the floor dripping with sweat and heart rate pumping. At that moment I knew what real training intensity was.” Such was Ben Lloyd’s introduction to a home workout and nutrition plan which has seen him shed 13lbs (6kg) in just six weeks.
‘I tried to improve my health through veganism, but it made my life so much worse’
Like many others, Kate Mulvey adopted a plant-based diet to improve her wellbeing. but she was caught offguard by some worrying outcomes
At first, Kate Mulvey felt great but things went downhill
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Many of us are embarking on Veganuary in a desire to be healthier, save the environment or even just to lose weight as we hunker down in lockdown once again. This year a record 500,000 people have signed up to the Veganuary challenge to eat only plant-based foods for a month; double the number who pledged to go vegan in January 2019.