I last shaved my beard some time in the BC era… Before Corona. There are people who would be shocked to run into me like what happened to your beard… well because of lockdown was mostly at home and as I didn’t need to go out into the world, the urge to have a well-manicured facial foliage kinda just got up and left…
I could pretend that lockdown restrictions meant I could not go and see my barber, but well I have not seen the inside of a barbershop in the past couple of years, so that would not be entirely true…. (besides I own a pair of hair clippers even though I currently have no idea where they are)
Back to the point, I was illustrating how lockdown and staying home in the past year due to the pandemic affected not just vanity and appearances, this new normal has affected our whole well-being, wellness, mentally and physically even financially (looks at the cobwebs in my wallet)
We have a family WhatsApp Group where family members just check-in and post updates on any news and sometimes simply just to say Hello, since we are all at different places in the country. This one day my young brother came up with a fun idea to do a Selfie Photo midweek fiesta, just asking the fam to share pics of themselves not archive images but pics taken that day. A few comments were going around on how people had put on weight, with those who started it being asked if they had looked at themselves in the mirror.
That staying at home lifestyle really adds up, if you aren’t watching or taking care of yourself properly. Just using a snap survey from my family I can definitely confirm that lockdown weight gain is real…
An article from the BBC on Lockdown weight gain cites results from a new King’s College London and Ipsos MORI survey which showed that 48% of the participants indicated weight gain during lockdown while 29% drank more alcohol…
How did the pandemic lead to weight gain?
If you put on a some weight during the past trying times you are not alone, the situation kind of brought everything together into a mixed bag of well here are……
“The rise in unstructured time, the closure of gyms and recreational centers, movement restrictions, boredom and the enormous stress of the pandemic affected people’s sleeping patterns, eating habits, and levels of physical exercise, which would all contribute to weight gain.” – Medical News Today
How to get back your healthy lifestyle
If you never fell of the bandwagon of your fitness lifestyle, good for you…
It hit me one day as I struggled to button up my favourite skinny jeans, as I sucked in my gut, it dawned on me that I hadn’t even needed to use a belt on any of my jeans in a long time… I missed having rock hard abs like from the time an exotic dancer was doing headstands and inverted splits while balancing on my abdomen during carnival celebrations but moving on swiftly; I started watching my diet and making sure I was working out.
Gyms might have been closed but The Concrete Club we started in the backyard was still open, who needs a gym when you can workout in your backyard?
To find if your weight is ok you can use your Body Mass Index (BMI) Body Mass Index is a simple calculation using a person’s height and weight. The formula is BMI = kg/m2 where kg is a person’s weight in kilograms and m2 is their height in metres squared
(note its more of a guide than an absolute standard; the ideal person does not exist and it does quite take into account body mass composition) for those who do not like calculating you can use online calculators like the BMI calculator.
And online you can also calculate what your ideal weight should be and now work towards it. World Health Organization (WHO) recommends both men and women to keep their BMI between 18.5 to 25.
Its also important to know your body type, I am a hard gainer and my fitness routine is less about losing weight and more about muscle and strength building… Can you tell?
How goes your health and fitness lifestyle?
~B
Becoming The Muse 
This pandemic got me gain weight😂😂😂from 52-61kg
I am so proud of myself
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I was actually kinda happy at my gain as well hahahaha I tsruggle to put on weight
People’s struggles are not the same
~B
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My weight also increase.
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It makes me sad to think about it. I went from 57 kg to 65kg. I haven’t been above 60kg in over 10 years. I died. I am now at 63kg and I have no idea how considering I have no routine whatsoever and I eat everything…(sigh)
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aaawe…
here is to getting into routine and making sure you stay in it hahaha
crazy though but I am kinda thrilled about my weight gain
~B
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Yes, I agree to getting into a routine. Guess I should hit up my fitness accountability partner. It is all their fault!! Haha!
Haha!! Great you are thrilled. Cheers to more weight gain!! AAhhh let me be specific- Fada Lawd….weight gain for B, not me! Haha!
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How is it working out 😜
~B
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I work hard the years before COVID to take the weight off due to diabetes. I walked five miles a day. While staying at home, I put it all back on.
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Oh no… 😥
But hey gotta sweat it off right 😅
Here’s to the journey once again
~B
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It sucks I gained it back
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And after that weekend guess you going onto a strict routine?
~B
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Every day is a challenge brother, that vacation I did my best at smarter choices could’ve been alot worse
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I’m definitely Covid thick lol RAT!
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🤣🤣🤣
~B
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I guess I’m just one of the lucky ones! No weight gain here 🙂
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That’s awesome… Sometimes we don’t see the luck around us🤣🤣 or the consistency in habits perhaps
~B
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I am happy that l gained weight but most of my clothes don’t fit anymore🤣🤣🤣🤣
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Well this means Wardrobe change woo-hoo 😂
Happy that you are happy, as one who struggles to gain weight sometimes our fitness goals are vastly different…
~B
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There’s really no change in my weight. I thought I would gain something but nah COVID or not COVID I’m still the same.
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Love your work-out place, lol. That alone could motivate my behind proper!
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It’s very rustic 🤣🤣🤣
~B
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It sure is! 🙂
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I didn’t gain any weight but then my life style didn’t really change due to Covid since I’m an essential worker. The horses help tons in keeping me exercised. I do like your home concrete gym. Great post! 🤠🐴
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Ah yes. Of course bless the horses keeping them in shape keeps you in shape win win 🤣🤣
~B
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I never divulge my weight to anyone even to my own doctor. What you see is what you get. I always believe that the BMI is too eurocentric cos as an African woman its in my genes to be weighty so that I can cope with almost all the physically challenging work that I do around the house e.g. hand washing of clothes, gardening and just cooking sadza our staple diet requires lots of stamina. 😛
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Are they still collecting trash from the neighboured I remember your exercise routine used to include running with the bin on trash collection day🤣
~B
PS you are so right on the BMI not taking into consideration an Afrocentric phenotype
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I definitely have put on weight all round my tummy. Mainly food but some alcohol too! And without my daughters here to encourage me to exercise it’s a slippery slope Beaton!
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Well MJ here’s to working it off 🤣
~B
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Ha ha. Beaton, I keep procrastinating about what gym to go to… it’s not looking good.
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Goes to check BMI online wondering what her body type is…I surprisingly fell into a workout routine in lockdown than ever before. I can’t say I am still as disciplined lol
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Hahaha discipline is a myth most of us can only hope at something that approximates a healthy lifestyle 🤣
~B
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No lies there, it is a myth.
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I’m pretty much still the same weight-wise, but my muscle definition is definitely not the same. I went to the gym a week or two ago and pretty much walked right back out. It was SO crowded. So, I guess I’m going back to my personal workouts. Love your concrete gym.
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The concrete gym is awesome we baked the concrete slabs ourselves (after weeping over the price of a gym subscription compared to a bag of cement lol)
~B
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As for my weight… It keeps fluctuating on a monthly basis… All i work towards is to keep within my normal weight bracket
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Here’s to staying in the bracket 🥂
~B
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During the lockdown i didnt gain much because I was exercising…following Connie Ferguson Fitness account on instagram kept me in shape…
I started gaining in dec during the festive seasons 😆😆😆…one of my resolutions for Jan was to lose the weight. I tried to exercise for two weeks only…I gained it back. Hahaha
My weight fluctuates all the time
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🤣🤣🤣 well here’s to knowing what it takes and getting right back to it come festivities and pandemics… A lot of people stay in denial until a doctor tells them to pay more attention to their lifestyle
~B
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I know right😁😁😁
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I gained weight as well but more stress related because I work at the hospital,but I was stressed out not wanting to be there. Then I contracted covid from work and was out six weeks. That’s when the weight came back off. I am still not where I wanna be because now I’m back at work here goes the stress again. I’m a stress eater. Trying to find ways to not pick up a fork when I’m going thru something.
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Hope your routine has gotten a bit settled…
~B
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I have gained, I need motivation to exercise.
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Get up and do something!!!!
~B
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