Sleeping and eating taking a hit from pandemic
Various studies have shown that the sleeping and eating habits of Montrealers have taken a hit since the pandemic. I would’ve expected people working from home, not exposed to so much fast food in their working day, to be eating better, but it seems to be causing some to snack more.
Chris 12:47 on 2021-01-29 Permalink
When the fridge is 10 metres away, it’s so easy to snack. At the office, you’d probably need to walk a few blocks. The food at home might be ‘better’, but a calorie is a calorie.
Mr.Chinaski 12:56 on 2021-01-29 Permalink
We’re all living for the past year in a triangle made of bed/computer/food that’s probably 10m wide. It’s hard to resist food intake.
But sleep I’m surprised, we’ve been given all that wasted time in transport and traffic to our better usage.
Chris 12:57 on 2021-01-29 Permalink
Well, not “all” of us. Some of us still have to go to work everyday.
Kate 13:09 on 2021-01-29 Permalink
We do have to acknowledge the people who don’t have the option to WFH.
But if you do WFH, the trick is not to stock the kitchen with snacks in the first place. I can say this, not being a habitual snacker, but I guess for some people it’s normal to have a lot of nibbly things in the fridge.
GC 13:42 on 2021-01-29 Permalink
Some of us have been eating our feelings, too, I’m sure.
As for sleep, I’m sure some are stressed and that is affecting their sleep patterns. That Gazette article doesn’t mention the increased alcohol intake of many, but that’s also going to impact sleep.
Mark Côté 14:31 on 2021-01-29 Permalink
Absolutely, this has been a brutal hit to the mental health of a lot of people, and for a variety of reasons. All the early fads (baking, gardening, etc.) that served as a sort of coping mechanism seem to have died out. A lot of us are just clinging onto sanity during the day and zoning out in the evenings.
Mr.Chinaski 14:57 on 2021-01-29 Permalink
Zoom partys, virtual work 5@7, heck the Tiger King mania, all this is gone a long time ago. We’re just trying to cling to whatever is left… Social reconstruction is going to take years,
Blork 16:49 on 2021-01-29 Permalink
My personal kryptonite is potato chips; specifically salt & vinegar flavour (so old-school).
Pre-COVID-19 I’d occasionally buy a large bag and would take a couple of weeks to go through it. By last summer I found myself buying the huge “family size” bag every week. A few chips on the plate with your sandwich at lunchtime? No biggie. Handful of chips while making dinner? Whatev. Might as well have another… Repeat that daily and it does not end well. Finally stopped buying them in September and I haven’t had a chip since (but oh, do I miss them!).
david228 17:31 on 2021-01-29 Permalink
I’ve been drinking 3x as much booze as normal over the past year, and when I’m sipping cocktails, I’m generally not eating as well that night or the next morning. I think it’s very likely that I’ve eaten more steak in the past year than I have in all the years of my life combined. That’s been affecting my sleep, as has having my full work station visible from my bed, which has caused me to borderline hate my job on some days.
david228 17:37 on 2021-01-29 Permalink
I’ve gone from normal weight to practically obese in the span of 10 months, and I can’t be the only one: I’m guessing that whenever we’re all vaccinated, there’s going to be an explosion in the popularity of gyms and other health related things.
Kate 17:42 on 2021-01-29 Permalink
I’ve bought a treadmill, something I never expected to do, and for which I barely have the room, and I use it too.
But my god, exercise is boring. People I know who run and do other things always tell me it gets compelling and more interesting, but I can’t see it. Are they motivating themselves by convincing themselves it’s fascinating? Because it’s not. It’s repetitive and you only go on doing it from fear of what will happen to you if you don’t.
I admit to indulging in a little more wine than I might otherwise have been doing, but on the other hand, if I was still having to go to an office every day, I might be drinking even yet more wine to offset the grind of office life.
Blork 18:05 on 2021-01-29 Permalink
Treadmills were originally designed for prison labour. (Not even kidding: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penal_treadmill )
We have one, and it is only tolerable because there’s a big-ass TV in front of it. I watched the first three seasons of “Game of Thrones” while walking to nowhere on that treadmill. If I don’t have something to watch I am literally screaming with boredom after one minute.
Kate 18:09 on 2021-01-29 Permalink
I know Oscar Wilde was forced to go on the treadmill, the irony being that a century later he’d probably be doing it for medical or vanity reasons.
david228 18:10 on 2021-01-29 Permalink
No surprise there, as a treadmill really feels like a form of torture.
Overall, like most sane people, I have no will to exercise unless it’s fun (skiing, hockey, splashing around on Miami Beach), or curtail my consumption of all these delicious things I’m eating and drinking. Probably also like most, the only things that’ll get me back to bring fit are: (1) a health scare or (2) shame.
I ran into someone at a market recently and she raised her eyebrows at how much weight I’ve put on. That sort of thing does more to get me onto a treadmill that any amount of will power I could ever summon.
I’m guessing when people start seeing each other in person on a daily basis again, there’s going to be this great collective “oh damn, I’ve really let myself go.”
david228 18:26 on 2021-01-29 Permalink
Well, either that or we’ll just join the Americans in collectively deciding that being overweight is the new normal.
Mr.Chinaski 18:31 on 2021-01-29 Permalink
I wouldn’t be surprised if the average lifespan in Canada lowers a lot (and not only because of Covid deaths) with the higher obesity % in population. I’m in shape (running during summer / rower during winter) and still put on 10lbs, mostly from drinking all those carbs.
Im actually thinking of switching to those super lite beers (that is so, so sad).
H. John 19:35 on 2021-01-29 Permalink
Kate, good for you on buying the treadmill.
Pre-covid, when I was allowed outside, walking was my main form of exercise. I also listened to dozens of audio-books. Picking a book made me look forward to picking up where I had left off. Some people prefer music; just choose what works for you.
The thread seems to connect exercise to weight loss which I think is a mistake. That saying “you can’t outrun your fork” exists for a reason. Exercise leads to better health.
I’ve been a guinea pig in three university studies on the effect of exercise on aging, and even on seniors coping with covid. Each lasted more than three months.
To anyone connecting exercise with controlling weight, I suggest reading “The Hungry Brain” by Stephan Guyanet (https://www.amazon.ca/Hungry-Brain-Outsmarting-Instincts-Overeat/dp/125008119X).
I actually listened to the audio-book version while heading to one of those studies I mentioned.
walkerp 20:08 on 2021-01-29 Permalink
Good job on the treadmill, Kate. I think that is perhaps one of the more repetitive and boring forms of exercise, but it does have the positive of being super convenient when one is inside your home.
Are you a fan of podcasts? That is what I do to keep my mind occupying when exercising. I even save my favourite ones that I only allow myself to do when exercising. It’s a good motivator.
Kate 21:06 on 2021-01-29 Permalink
I’ve got audiobooks and can find more. I don’t find I want to concentrate on video while doing the treadmill, but promising myself a chapter of a book I’m enjoying is working as a reward system so far.
Kevin 21:21 on 2021-01-29 Permalink
I recommend tracking calories. Apps like MyNetDiary are good for that. And for learning just how many calories are in certain foods you thought were healthy.
My exercise is weightlifting, x-country skiing, and yoga. The online yoga classes are nice because if I catch them live there is interaction which is fantastic.