Category: Wellness

Alarmed by the number you’re seeing on your bathroom scale? You aren’t alone. Almost half of all adults say they’ve been eating more during the pandemic.

The term “COVID-15” has gained popularity as a variation on the “Freshman 15” many students gain during their first year of university. But it turns out that number may actually be too low.

According to the American Psychological Association’s annual “Stress in America” report, 40% of Americans have gained unwanted weight during the pandemic, with the average gain being a whopping 29 pounds (50% of those who reported undesired weight gain said they had gained more than 15 pounds, and 10% said they had gained more than 50 pounds).

Is it any wonder many of us are tipping the scales? We’ve been stuck at home for well over a year, with few opportunities to socialize, our schedules are off, gyms are closed and cooking and baking are among the few activities keeping us occupied.

The pandemic has us worried, bored, lonely, sad and stressed—all factors that can make us turn to food for comfort.

Because these unsettling emotions can be difficult to deal with, it’s tempting to seek out things to make ourselves feel better. That might be an extra glass or two of wine at night, too many Netflix shows, excessive online shopping — or repeatedly staring into the fridge or pantry for something yummy to eat.

As we reported in our last post, children are also gaining extra weight during the pandemic, due to missing physical education classes thanks to school closures, a lack of after-school sports activities and even just playing outside with friends. Studies show screen time for kids has doubled during the pandemic. 

Even our pets are getting heavier. The Wall Street Journal reported that the largest chain of vet practices in the U.S. conducted a survey that revealed 42% of pet dogs and cats had gained weight during the pandemic. 

Extra pounds aren’t easy to lose—for adults, children or pets—and they are cause for concern since significant weight gain poses long-term health risks. Just adding an extra 11 pounds can put you at higher risk of developing coronary heart disease and Type 2 diabetes. An extra 25 pounds put you at higher risk of stroke. 

So what can you do to get a handle on pandemic weight gain? Here are a some tips to consider:

Why is it that some people seem to gain weight by just looking at a piece of cake, while others can pack away large meals without packing on the pounds?

It doesn’t seem fair, but the fact is leanness comes naturally to some. And now a comprehensive new study on the genetics of obesity reveals why this might be so. The researchers identified rare gene variants that protect some lucky carriers from gaining weight.

The researchers examined mutations within genes that were associated with a lower or higher body mass index (BMI), the most reliable measure of obesity. They found 16 genes tied to BMI, some of which are expressed in the hypothalamus, the area of the brain that regulates hunger and metabolism. Those who carried variants that inactivate one of these genes—GPR75—weighed an average of 5.3 kilograms less and had half the odds of being obese compared to those with working copies of the gene. The variants that inactivate this gene are thought to be quite rare with only one in 3,000 people carrying it.

One of the impacts of this finding is that the discovery of these rare variants could lead to new medication treatments for people struggling with obesity.

And that’s good news because obesity is an epidemic. In the U.S. more than 40 percent of the population is considered obese (in Canada it’s closer to 30 percent).

At least 2.8 million people die every year from being overweight or clinically obese. Obesity increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease, some cancers, and even severe COVID-19. 

So is DNA destiny when it comes to gaining weight? There are many factors that determine a person’s chances of being obese, including diet, exercise and ill health. A healthy diet and regular exercise can offset a genetic predisposition but these people may have to work harder to maintain a normal weight.

Approximately 10 percent of a person’s obesity risk may be determined by their DNA, according to the authors of a 2019 study published in the journal Cell, which examined data from 2.1 million genetic variants to identify adults at risk of severe obesity.

The researchers found that a genetic predisposition to obesity begins to appear in early childhood and is often clearly evident by early adulthood — suggesting an opportunity for early intervention.

“We’ve known for a long time that some people are born with DNA predisposing them to obesity,” says one of the study authors, Dr. Amit V. Khera, a clinician and researcher at the Massachusetts General Hospital Center for Genomic Medicine. “Now, we can quantify those differences in a meaningful way, and potentially explore new routes for achieving better health.”

Living through this stressful COVID-19 period can make it difficult to maintain an exercise habit. With lockdown measures, stay-at-home orders, social distancing, the closure of gyms and, in some areas, a ban on outdoor activities such as golf and tennis, it’s no surprise that FitBit® recently reported a daily reduction in step counts ranging from 7-38% among its 30 million active users around the world. 

The question on everyone’s mind? What’s the least amount of exercise you can get away with temporarily before seeing a big decline in fitness levels? 

According to a new scientific review, published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, endurance performance can be maintained for up to 15 weeks when training frequency is reduced to just two weekly sessions of 13-26 minutes each as long as exercise intensity is maintained. And strength and muscle size can be maintained for up to 32 weeks with just one session of strength training per week (for adults older than 60, twice-a-week sessions are better at preserving muscle). 

The authors conclude that it’s the intensity (or the heart rate reached) of the reduced workouts that’s the key variable for maintaining fitness over time, despite rather large reductions in frequency and volume. 

One caveat: the review looked at studies that involved participants who consistently engage in physical exercise. 

So, it appears that if you are fit to start with, doing less exercise over the short term won’t have disastrous effects. 

However, if you aren’t staying in shape with regular exercise, you won’t be doing yourself any favours by doing less. And while you might be able to maintain existing strength with this minimum dose, it bears pointing out that you certainly won’t gain any strength. 

There’s a difference between minimum dose and optimal dose when it comes to exercise. Government recommendations call for adults to engage in 150 minutes of weekly moderate-intensity aerobic activity (such as walking or biking) or 75 minutes of weekly vigorous exercise (such as running or skipping) in addition to muscle-strengthening activities two or more days a week that work all major muscle groups.

But the review reinforces the idea that when it comes to exercise, something is always better than nothing. And if you exercise regularly you can afford to cut back a little without seeing a big drop in endurance and strength—good news for those of us who are missing our regular visits to the gym because of COVID-19.

A good night’s sleep is restorative for both the brain and the body and it may also be a factor in preventing obesity.

An increasing number of studies show that too little sleep can result in too much weight gain. Specifically, those who regularly get less than seven hours of sleep a night are at a higher risk of becoming overweight or obese.

The Nurses’ Health Study, the most significant study on sleep habits and weight, which followed 68,000 middle-aged American women for up to 16 years, found that compared to women who slept seven hours a night, women who slept five hours or less were 15 percent more likely to become obese over the course of the study.

Even just a slight sleep deprivation can have a big impact on weight. In a JAMA Internal Medicine report, researchers who used Fitbit wearable technology to collect sleep data from more than 120,000 people over a two-year period found that those who are obese (with a BMI of 30 or above) only slept about 15 minutes less than their less weighty counterparts. 

Childhood sleep habits can also have a long-term impact on weight. Children who slept less than 10.5 hours a night at age three had a 45% higher risk of becoming obese by age 7 when compared to children who slept more than 12 hours a night, according to a British study of 8,000 children followed from birth. 

Lack of sleep may be a major contributor to the obesity epidemic, which parallels the trend of reduced sleep duration. Rates of obesity have doubled since 1980 (36.5% of Americans are now classified as obese) while some 40% of American adults do not get enough sleep each night—in 1998 35% of adults got 8 hours of sleep a night; today the average is 6.8 hours a night.

This lack of sufficient shut-eye can lead to weight gain for several reasons. Sleep deprivation affects the hunger hormone called ghrelin, which stimulates appetite, as well as another hormone, leptin, which suppresses appetite. Also, staying up late means there are more waking hours in which to eat. And sleep deprivation can increase tiredness which may decrease the motivation to exercise.  

A healthy sleep schedule not only helps maintain a healthy weight but also boosts energy and mood. The ideal sleeping time for most people is between 7 to 9 hours. There are a number of things that can improve sleep quality, including going to sleep and waking up around the same time every day, limiting caffeine later in the day, moving electronic devices to another room and doing something relaxing before bedtime, such as taking a bath or listening to a guided meditation.

It’s ironic that while sleep may be the world’s most sedentary activity, it’s also one that may help prevent weight gain. Altering your sleep habits, even just a little, can have a big impact on your overall health and wellbeing.

We spend the majority of our waking lives in front of screens — 11 hours a day according to the latest figures from market research group Nielsen. There’s no question that all this time in front of our TVs, computers, tablets and smart phones is contributing to sedentary lifestyles that have led to record levels of weight gain—some 75% of U.S. adults are overweight or obese.

And yet the very thing that has created this problem of epic proportions may also be what can help people slim down. A new review of 40 studies by researchers at Stanford Medicine shows that short term use of digital health technology to track weight, diet and exercise levels can result in long-term weight loss. Websites are the most common self-monitoring technology tools followed by apps, wearable devices, electronic scales, and text messaging. 

Why are these digital tools so effective at helping people lose weight? Here are three reasons:

There’s no question that self-monitoring offers accountability for eating habits and exercise. One caveat: It appears that digital health technology works best over the short term. The review found that those who self-monitored with these tools for less than 12 months had an 84% weight loss success rate, compared to only 47% success over a longer term.  

Wondering which of the hundreds of digital tools you might use to start tracking your weight loss progress? Check out these top ten weight loss apps from Healthline.

It’s common knowledge that old age and certain health conditions such as diabetes and heart disease put people at increased risk of suffering severe symptoms of COVID-19. But did you know obese people who contract the virus are also more likely to become dangerously ill?

A slew of recent studies shows a profound relationship between obesity and the risk of admission to the intensive care unit, intubation and death due to the virus. This is alarming news for the more than 40% of American adults who are considered obese (defined as having a body mass index, or BMI—a measure of body fat based on height and weight—of 30 or more), including the 10 percent who are considered morbidly obese (having a BMI of 40 or more).

As BMI increases, so does the risk of death. A study of 150,000 patients with COVID-19 found hospitalizations were seven percent more likely and deaths were eight percent more likely among patients with a BMI of 30-34.9%. That increased dramatically among those with a BMI of 45 who were four times more likely to die from the virus than those of normal weight, according to a study of 7,000 COVID-19 patients published last in the Annals of Internal Medicine. 

Carrying excess weight is linked with impaired immune function and chronic inflammation, both of which can worsen COVID-19.

And people with obesity are also more likely than those of normal weight to have chronic health ailments that are risk factors for COVID-19, including hypertension, type 2 diabetes and lung disease. 

But you don’t need to be obese to be at risk of becoming seriously ill if you contract the virus. Even a few extra pounds can put you in the danger zone. The Centers for Disease Control recently issued a warning that even moderate excess weight (having a BMI of 25 or more) may increase the risk of severe illness from the virus. With 42% of Americans classified as obese and another 32% considered overweight, the U.S. has the highest prevalence of obesity of any country in thew world — this means 75% of the country’s adults are at increased risk of severe symptoms if they contract the virus.

Early on in the pandemic researchers were unsure whether excess weight in and of itself increased the chances of contracting COVID-19 or whether it was the health issues that accompany obesity that make people vulnerable. These new studies prove there’s no doubt about it: excess weight means extra risk. 

This underscores just how crucial it is to maintain a healthy weight. (People with the lowest risk of becoming severely ill from the virus have a BMI that’s typically under 25.) While wearing a mask is the first step to stay healthy in the age of COVID-19, the next best course of action is regular moderate exercise to reduce weight and thus minimize the effects of COVID-19 infection.

If you’re overweight and working on shedding the pounds, that’s a good thing. Not so good, however, is the fact that if you’re not careful you can lose muscle along with the fat. Studies show as much as 25 percent of weight lost by dieters is from muscle. 

That’s a problem because muscle not only keeps you feeling strong and fit, it protects against disease, boosts mortality and can even help prevent rebound weight gain since losing muscle can slow your metabolism, which means you’ll burn fewer calories. 

Preserving muscle mass is essential during weight loss. 

So how do you optimize fat loss while maintaining muscle? Here are four tips to keep in mind:

Pump it up

Regular physical activity helps get rid of fat. If you lose weight through diet alone, you’re more likely to lose muscle. That’s why exercise is essential in your weight loss plan. While both aerobic activity and resistance exercise are necessary for good health, numerous studies show that resistance exercise (using weights, weight machines, resistance bands and your own body weight with exercises such as push ups and squats) is more effective than aerobic activity when it comes to increasing muscle strength and muscle endurance. 

Boost your protein

A high-protein diet increases metabolism, reduces hunger and helps you retain more lean muscle mass. That’s because protein supplies amino acids, the building blocks to creating muscle tissue. The recommended daily allowance (RDA) of protein for adults is about 50-60 grams per day (to figure out your RDA multiply your weight in pounds by 0.36 or use this online calculator). Increasing this amount can help counteract muscle loss. Some easy ways to increase your protein intake include replacing your breakfast cereal with eggs (there are 6 grams of protein in a single egg), snacking on almonds (6 grams in a 1 ounce serving), opting for Greek yogurt instead of the regular variety (17-20 grams in an 8-ounce serving) and having canned fish for lunch (20–25 grams in a 3.5 ounce serving). 

Take it slow

A slow but steady approach to weight loss allows for a greater preservation of muscle mass. Reducing calorie intake by 500-1,000 calories a day will result in weight loss of a pound or two a week. Any further reduction in calories means you are likely to lose muscle as well.  

Vitamin D can help

It’s estimated that about 40% of adults are vitamin D deficient and people who are overweight or obese tend to have lower levels of this all-important vitamin. That’s cause for concern because not only does vitamin D keep bones healthy and protect against diseases such as diabetes, it also helps improve muscle strength. Vitamin D deficiency is linked with poor muscle health, especially in older adults. 

It’s totally possible to lose the pounds and keep the muscle if you have a targeted approach. The above nutrition and fitness strategies will help you achieve the best results. 

Childhood obesity is an emerging epidemic: one-third of children are overweight or obese. 

 Life as an overweight kid isn’t easy. For one thing, such kids are much more vulnerable to being picked on—a study in the journal Pediatrics found that children in Grades 3 to 6 who were obese were 65% more likely to be bullied than their peers of normal weight. They also suffer from low self-esteem, sadness and loneliness, according to Sylvia Rimm, author of Rescuing the Emotional Lives of Overweight Kids.

Children carrying excess pounds are more likely to grow into adults who tip the scales and are putting themselves at future risk of adverse conditions such as early onset heart disease, stroke and arthritis as well as type 2 diabetes. 

 Protecting these children, especially obese children—from both social ills and physical problems—requires taking action in order to help them reduce their rate of weight gain while allowing for normal growth and development. Dramatic weight reduction diets aren’t the answer. Neither, in most cases, is medication or surgery.

 So what does work? Early screening for one thing. The US Preventive Services Task Force recommends children six years and older be screened for obesity. For those who are diagnosed with obesity the most effective treatment is behavioural intervention—along with parental involvement—to change unhealthy habits. These interventions, provided by health care professionals such as family physicians, dietitians and counsellors, focus on four key areas: 

 It can be challenging for parents to instill new habits around eating, exercise, screen time and sleep. It’s important to remember you don’t need to go it alone—reach out to your health care professional for help. 

Right now, as you read this, you’re burning calories. From breathing to thinking to the subtle movements of your eyes across the screen — everything your body does takes energy. Of course, it’s not much. An hour of reading or watching something on a screen burns fewer than 50 calories. But it does add up. And at a time when most of us are more sedentary than ever, every little bit counts.

I’ve talked before about finding the right combination of approaches to lose weight or treat obesity, and I’d like to add something else to the mix: doing nothing. Or close to nothing. “Nonexercise activity thermogenesis,” or NEAT, refers to the body’s continuous expenditure of energy. Think of it like the gas used when your car is idling. Scientists are increasingly aware of the value of NEAT in weight loss, not as a standalone focus but rather as a way to extend your regimen into downtime.

The idea is simple: try to find opportunities to add movement to otherwise sedentary activities in order to increase NEAT. The differences can be surprising. Here are just a few very simple ways to put it to work.

Inconvenience yourself

We take countless shortcuts in our lives. Microwaves, elevators, dishwashers – making things easier is just part of human nature. But there are major benefits to doing things the old-fashioned way. Beyond the obvious advantages of taking the stairs whenever possible, something as simple as baking dinner instead of microwaving it can massively raise the relative caloric expenditure of the activity. Not to mention make for tastier meals. Scientists have shown that choosing to take the slightly more challenging approach to a task can add up to a higher level of NEAT over time.

Start by standing

If you’d like to help burn calories while binge-ing your show du jour, you can. Just stand up. Anything you normally do sitting down can become a tool in your weight loss regimen this way. It’s one of the reasons why standing desks have become so popular in offices. With a slight shift in verticality comes a major jump in NEAT, and seeing how long you can go without sitting down will also make your move to the couch that much more satisfying.

Take a moment to move

If you’ve ever been self-conscious about fidgeting, don’t be. Believe it or not, studies show that tapping fingers and feet can actually add calorie-burning movement to sedentary activities. But don’t stop there. Pacing and stretching take that NEAT even further. While your family may not appreciate you circling the room on movie night, walking around while performing otherwise stationary tasks is one of the most reliable ways to increase thermogenesis. Research indicates that something as simple as stepping in place during TV commercials not only made a significant contribution to daily steps, but also reduced overall TV time among participants of one recent study.

Find NEATer hobbies

You’ve probably picked up on the theme by now: If it involves movement, it burns calories. Playing an instrument, watering the garden, or singing in a choir – these are the kinds of downtime activities with good potential for NEAT. Every note played or flower planted is another micro-step toward your goals.

Nonexercise activity thermogenesis is never a replacement for true exercise. But it is a valuable reminder that every activity has potential to contribute to your fitness priorities. At the end of the day, being mindful and proactive about our bodies can have remarkable benefits over time. It’s about more than just pushing yourself hard for an hour each day, but rather sustained, gradual choices to be just a little more active. And as COVID keeps us indoors for at least a little while longer, there has never been a better time for this kind of mindfulness.

How the “maintainers” keep their progress

‘Tis the season for ambitious goals. With 2021 (thankfully) here, many of us are setting out on new fitness journeys. But how do we turn an ambitious beginning into sustained improvement?

Losing weight is hard enough — but maintaining that loss is always harder. Fatigue sets in, life gets in the way of carefully laid plans and before too long many people find themselves back at where they started on January 1st. But not everyone.

To identify what works best over the long term, doctors turned to the people most successful at sustaining weight loss: the “maintainers.” What’s working for those who can lose 30 pounds, then keep it off for more than a year? It turns out that it’s not about restriction, but addition.

Scientists recently confirmed an idea that doctors have had for quite a while: restrictive diets may help a great deal in the short-term, but for long-term results, the maintainers rely on Physical Activity Energy Expenditure (PAEE). This refers to active exercise, not just the Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) we experience in our day-to-day lives. In other words, the attribute shared by most maintainers is that they’re making a concerted effort to exercise every day. The study, which used isotopes in specially prepared water to track the energy expenditure of its participants, made exercise the clear star when it comes to sustaining change. Seems like a no-brainer, but there are a few nuances worth discussing.

As many of us discover every holiday season, restrictive diets don’t always line up with our real lives. Changing our eating habits may need that serious behavioral switch at first, but it’s important that we can eventually transition back toward enjoying the foods we love. We can — but only if we introduce exercise to match. The maintainers weren’t consuming less calories than the other groups of the study. They were just far more active: in some cases nearly twice as much as the others.

The research showed that not only do maintainers walk farther each day than the less-successful members of the study with obesity, they walked farther than people of a normal body weight. On average, the maintainer group walked the equivalent of 12,000 steps each day, as opposed to the normal body-weight participants’ 9,000 steps. To me, this shows a major commitment to physical activity.

So how do we apply this to our own lives? Well, let’s look at that resolution. If you’re utterly miserable by March, you probably won’t still be at it in December. So rather than trying to commit to a rigorous exercise regimen, try experimenting. Give a new activity a shot. If you don’t enjoy it, try something else. Once you find something you do enjoy, it will be far easier to keep it going through 2021 and beyond — even if it’s not the most calorie-burning activity possible. It’s about finding that path to those 3,000 “extra steps” each day. Talk with your doctor about the kinds of activities you love, then work with them to develop a dietary plan that fits.