Our Health is in Our Hands!

The pandemic has affected everyone’s daily lives. It is obvious we had to give up trips and meetings with loved ones, lots of businesses had to close down. Our health has suffered just as much. It turns out, however, that a lot depends on ourselves, so it’s high time to start acting!

 

Excess weight and obesity – a growing problem

According to the data gathered by the Polish National Institute of Public Health – National Institute of Hygiene (NIZP-PZH), analyzed in the study “Health situation of the Polish population and its conditions in 2020”, almost one third of Poles (28%) put on weight during the pandemic! This is especially worrying when we consider the health consequences of being overweight and obese. Type 2 diabetes, hypertension, diseases of the cardiovascular system and the locomotor system are just some of them. Neglecting any medical condition can become a serious threat to life. Interestingly, the increase in body weight was observed more often in people with higher education.

 

Why are we putting on weight?

If we want to know the reasons for this situation, it is enough to delve into the detailed data of the NIZP-PZH report. 34% of Poles declared that they had reduced their physical activity during the pandemic (more often men than women)! People with higher education resigned less frequently.

I assume the nutritional aspect also had an impact on the current condition. While many of you often mention that this time at home made cooking an everyday common activity, you also point out that you ate much more often and more than you used to. Oftentimes, it resulted not so much from the physiological feeling of hunger, but simply from boredom and monotony.

Lack of exercise combined with an inadequate, high-calorie diet inevitably leads to an unfavorable situation for our health. It seems comforting, however, that there’s a part of our society in which the situation was just the opposite – they moved more than before the pandemic (18% of men and 17% of women).

 

Time for a change: a new challenge

You know that physical activity is an integral part of my life. I am here to show you that everyone can find their own way to health. The data from the NIPH-PZH report clearly show that we must act. Many of you need motivation, support and extra incentive to start off, hence the new #FighterSummerChallenge ! I have prepared new training programs for you and you can find them in my Diet & Training by Ann application (HERE). This time we will focus on training, but we still keep the habits from our previous challenge #SmallSteps#BigChange 🙂

Remember that you can join the challenge at any time, but there’s no point in waiting since the best moment to change is right now! Fight for your health, I stand with you! 🙂

 

Bibliography:

Narodowy Instytut Zdrowia Publicznego–Państwowy Zakład Higieny. Sytuacja zdrowotna ludności Polski i jej uwarunkowania 2020. Warszawa 2020