ask the expert
Zoom, Zoom!
kickstart your daily exercise routine now! Written by Marc Stewart of Heritage Health
Working from home and Zoom meetings became part of the new routine for many Americans during the global coronavirus pandemic. Combine that with social distancing and avoiding large gatherings of people and it means COVID-19 may be the least of our worries. “I think a big concern is people being less active and gaining weight,” says Dr. Anthony Rehil-Crest, Vice President of Medical Services at Heritage Health. “Many of us are working from home or not working at all and for many people their job is their primary source of activity. It’s important to make yourself aware of changes in your activity.” Weight gain can creep up on people who are not paying attention – especially if you’re wearing sweatpants all day and moving from the home office to the couch to the kitchen and back to the home office. 34 march • april 2021
While no formal studies have been released, it’s a good chance the last 12 months has resulted in weight gain and diminished activity. Health care providers expect to see spikes in diabetes, heart disease and depression in 2021.
What can people do?
Rehil-Crest believes using a fitness tracker to monitor their activity throughout the day is a good way to keep daily exercise top of mind. Most of these trackers cost less than $200 and can connect with smartphones. The key is to start moving. Start slow and then increase duration and intensity. “For my patients that are new to exercise, I often recommend taking a brisk walk outside to start with,” he says. “Begin with short distances, maybe 10-15 minutes, and then slowly increase your duration and distance. Many people find that they are able to exercise longer during the
