LOSING THE COVID-15 Molly Prior
The “Quarantine 15” has been a popular meme on social media throughout much of this year due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. But people might be wondering; how much of that is actually true? Are people really gaining weight at an alarming weight since spending more time indoors? Since March, many of us have been forced to spend far more time inside our homes than usual. People are not only working from home, but gyms are still closed and sometimes it’s been hard to fit in time and motivation to exercise with this “new normal.” Though it may be challenging, there are creative ways for people to exercise, stay healthy and embrace the new reality that is upon us. Katherine McNamara, R.D., C.D.N., is a registered dietitian and nutritionist. She graduated from the University of Rhode Island in the health sciences department and did clinical training at the Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City’s Upper East Side. Now working as a dietician with patients for five years, McNamara has seen lots of changes in the way people’s physical and mental health are changing during the pandemic. “There are two cases that I’ve seen a lot of,” MacNamara explained. “A lot of people have slowed down for sure. People think that it’s more of a challenge to work out if they can’t go to the gym or to their usual workout classes. But then there are also people who are working out a lot more than before because they might have more free time and they are being hard on themselves and their weight during the pandemic.”
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As for whether the quarantine 15 is actually real or not, McNamara said people may have seen some weight gain, but most people are fine where they are at. “The quarantine 15 is an interesting concept,” she stated. “I think that most people who had steady diet and exercise routines before the pandemic were better off and it really didn’t impact them as much as they imagined it may have.” For McNamara’s job, she says that she has seen an increasing number of patients using TeleHealth for their appointments when they can not come in person. She believes that programs like Telehealth and online exercise classes will be here to stay for the future, even when the pandemic is over, due to their efficiency. She also feels that people will be using them even more with the winter season and cold weather coming up. Though it can be hard to feel motivated at the moment, MacNamara tells her patients that there are simple steps they can take towards leading a healthier lifestyle during this time. “I tell people who have jobs where they are sitting at home and working all day to set phone reminders to get up and walk around every two hours,” she said. “It can be difficult when you have a job that requires you to sit at a desk. But I say to go out and try to go for a walk at least once a day as well.”
