When the pandemic hit, many of us discovered new ways of exercising - home-made weights in the kitchen, cardio equipment in the garage and online yoga classes in the lounge room.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
For others - through fear of catching the virus, or because we no longer enjoyed incidental activity during the day - exercise levels dropped off. Even the equivalent of a daily walk from the car park to the office became a distant memory.
So is it really a major problem to take a break from aerobic or strength activities, while we gradually get our daily routines back on track? Well, it could be.
Even before coronavirus hit, only 15 per cent of Australian adults met the minimum recommended amount of weekly physical activity.
That's at least 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous aerobic exercise, and at least two strength exercise sessions per week.
According to the World Health Organisation, physical inactivity is the fourth-leading risk factor for chronic disease worldwide.
But did you know that it also has a major effect on our ability to do our jobs - even if we sit at a desk most of the day?
At La Trobe University, we recently surveyed 500 Australian and New Zealand adults.
We found that those who met the weekly aerobic exercise guidelines felt they were both physically and mentally better able to do their jobs.
In fact, those getting enough aerobic exercise were twice as likely to rate themselves as having "rather good" or "very good" work ability.
And those who met the strength exercise guidelines were 1.5 times as likely to be in these higher categories.
As we know, this year has stretched many people to the limit, in terms of mental health. So it's more important than ever to remember that exercising can help. If you can't get out as much as you used to, think about investing in exercise equipment at home, such as free weights, resistance bands or a skipping rope. Or exercise in your lounge room to a DVD or online class.
For those wanting personal guidance on safe and effective exercise options - no matter what your level of health or fitness - consider engaging the services of an accredited, university-trained exercise professional - visit the Exercise and Sports Science Australia website.
It has been a strange year. But regardless of what's coming next, let's all try to keep exercising.
Dr Jayden Hunter is a lecturer in exercise physiology at La Trobe University.
