A Hebrew University study published this week confirmed what many Israelis already know, that the coronavirus restrictions and lockdown caused many people to gain weight.
A total of 55% of Israelis reported gaining weight due to coronavirus restrictions, with 50% reporting a weight gain of over 2 kilograms (4.5 pounds), with the average weight gain being 1.2 kilograms (2.4 pounds).
Researchers believe that the actual number of people who gained weight could be up to 30% higher since the survey was based on self-reported data rather than weigh-ins and the responses could not be independently verified.
A full 70% of respondents said that they slacked off on their usual workouts and 48% reported that they had stopped exercising almost completely or completely.
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The good news was that some Israelis did exercise during quarantine, with 60% of this group using online workout videos, 22% exercising without videos and 21% who tried to work out using videos or Zoom classes but gave up. There was even a small percentage of this group – 15% – who reported that they exercised even more than usual at home during the lockdown..
Dr. Horesh Dor-Haim, a physiologist who directed the study and manages the O2 Start Center for the Advancement of Health and Sports Medicine at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem said: “We’ve been educating the public for years about the importance of exercise for health and talking about the obesity epidemic and the lack of exercise as a cause of premature death. The effect of the decrease in physical activity due to the coronavirus restrictions could be more lethal than the coronavirus itself.”
“Over 40 million people die from non-infectious diseases worldwide every year. Studies show that lack of physical activity results in a 20-30% increase in these diseases. These are much higher numbers than the coronavirus, which has killed about 250,000 people worldwide.”
The survey was based on the data of 1,200 respondents.
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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One Response
So did the tailors of the world get together to bribe the Chinese Bats to let loose the virus? Or could it be the Chinese government cleverly looking for a way to increase sales of new (made in China) clothing?