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Southern Tier Life // ISSUE 02
The Quarantine 19 Written By: Sheri Hughey
Spring has sprung, and while some of us are shedding layers of bulky winter-wear, others of us may be looking to shed “The Quarantine 19.” Remember the freshman 15 -those unaware, but who cares, extra pounds we were awarded after settling into our first semester of college and discovering 25-cent draft night? The expression, quarantine 19, has gained popularity to refer to weight gain during the covid-19 pandemic. One year later, even with restrictions gradually being lifted, the struggle continues to be real. The weight of it all… Quarantines, closures, lockdowns, remote learning, and remote working obligated us to the confines of our homes; our daily routines interrupted or dismantled. Stress, related to the pandemic, showed up in our behaviors. Being confined to home, we were cooking more, exercising less, and snacking more. According to the American Psychological Association, 61% of adults reported undesirable weight changes during the COVID-19 pandemic; the average overall weight gain among adults was a whopping 29 pounds, and the average weight gain specifically for men was 37 pounds. Even if you were not a gym-junkie or exercise fanatic prior to COVID-19, unconsciously and
Photo Courtesy of Journey Fitness Note: Photo taken pre-COVID
unintentionally, you could, at the very least, count on burning calories merely from routine activities, at the workplace or outside the home. You know, the kind of exercise that is not considered traditional exercise. Low hanging fruit. What a bummer. Those were freebies. So here we are and, well… baby got back! But don’t be too critical or hard on yourself. The shift to a more sedentary lifestyle, compounded with stress of an unprecedented and puzzling pandemic, it is understandable that we indulged in food for comfort; after all, we couldn’t get a hug from a friend, right? Take heart; you are not alone, and there is absolutely no value in feeling ashamed. The good news is there is common sense, basic strategies to
get baby back on track. Jeffrey Case, former Insanity Coach, former Beachbody Coach, and current mega coach at Journey Fitness in Horseheads says that of all the efforts to bounce back from COVID-19, it is the small victories that have the most impact towards your goal. (For some reason, my mind takes me to the animated movie, Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town, and Kris Kringle is singing, “Put One Foot in Front of the Other.” But I digress. Kinda.) According to Coach Case, (re)-establishing routines is key; routines are something that an individual has control of. “Getting up at a specific time, making your bed, getting dressed and having breakfast seem like such small things, but it is something you can control, and
