Abstract
Social distancing and self-isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic have wreaked havoc on people's brains and physical fitness. The current dire situation makes it extremely difficult for people to maintain sanity amid the pandemic, with more than 33 million coronavirus cases (as of September 27, 2020), more than a million deaths, and slightly less than eight million currently infected people, of which one percent are seriously or critically ill. During this time, the awareness that physical and mental health go hand in hand is extremely important if a “tsunami” of psychiatric illness is to be avoided. As COVID-19 will probably persist for months, this chapter aims to raise awareness of the importance of maintaining regular exercise routines for both physical and mental health; it is a warning against a sedentary lifestyle that inevitably leads to muscle loss, a slowing brain, weakened heart and lungs, weight gain, and poor sleep.
TopIntroduction
At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, some global thinkers predicted that this world-shattering event would not only change people’s lives, disrupt markets and expose the (in)competence of governments, but would also lead to a permanent shift in political and economic power. On the macro level, the pandemic should strengthen the role of states, reduce hyper globalization, change global supply chains, reinforce governmental interventions, contribute to a deterioration in Sino–American relations, weaken European integration, etc. (Allen et al., 2020). On the micro level, socioeconomic changes in mobility, socialization, consumption patterns, leisure, work and in other dimensions of social life will most likely have a significant impact on our lives.
Although the COVID-19 pandemic may not prove to be the worst pandemic in history, almost all affected countries have imposed extremely strict restrictions upon private and economic life in an effort to contain the virus (Messerschmidt, 2020). Nonpharmaceutical interventions were (and still are – until the vaccination can be widely administered) the main strategy to contain the pandemic (Gössling et al., 2020). States have adopted a set of emergency measures that include restricting travel, preventing inter- and intra-state movement, quarantine, isolation, surveillance using mobile telephone data, contact tracing digital apps, etc. The majority of people in the world have been faced with stay-at-home orders, limitations on the number of people assembled in one place and other restrictions concerning public gatherings, work-from-home orders, education-from-home orders, the closure of non-essential businesses, etc. (Richardson & Divine, 2020).
The pandemic has had a more negative impact on economic activity in the first half of 2020 than anticipated and the recovery is projected to be more gradual than previously forecast. There is a higher-than-usual degree of uncertainty around this forecast (IMF, 2020), while economic uncertainty among consumers and firms is near a record high (The Economist, 2020). Prospects for economic growth depend on various factors: on the likelihood of a new virus outbreak; the impact on consumer and business confidence; the extent to which governments’ aid for job and business can boost demand (OECD, 2020). The World Bank has predicted that hunger could swiftly follow the COVID-19 pandemic, doubling acute food insecurity by the end of 2020, when 40 to 60 million more people could be living in extreme poverty (Pangestu, 2020).
COVID-19 has affected all levels of the education system, from preschool to university education. Different countries have introduced various policies, ranging from complete closure (e.g., Germany, Italy etc.) to targeted closure (e.g., United Kingdom) (Nicola et al., 2020). For students, school is not only an educational hub, but also a “home outside home,” with plentiful free space. Schools offer children a “window of freedom”’ and a place for interaction with their peers and seniors. Moreover, they play an important role in promoting the importance of personal hygiene, physical activity, healthy eating and body habits (Sylva, 1994). As schools used to provide a sense of normalcy, staying at home has meant a drastic change in the lifestyle, physical activity and mental excursions of children, which has imposed an immediate and lingering psychological impact on them. The routine habits of school-going, task-oriented education, peer group interactions, teacher–student relations and forming friendships with other pupils have been jeopardized (Ghosh et al., 2020). In addition, in schools and faculties, there has been a massive “migration” from traditional in-class face-to-face education to online education (Bao, 2020). Home schooling has not only been a massive shock to parents’ productivity, but also to children’s social life and learning. The global-scale expansion in home schooling might first have been seen quite positively, and likely to be effective. Until the pandemic, this way of learning was good as a complement to the input from school but was not a prime driver for learning (Burgess & Sievertsen, 2020). Moreover, home-learning has highlighted the wide disparity amongst populations in terms of those with a higher income compared to families with lower income; those that can help their children compared to those who cannot; those that have the necessary books, a suitable place to learn, computers, smartphone Internet access etc. compared to those that do not have all of these (Ghosh et al., 2020).
Key Terms in this Chapter
Mental Fitness: Is closely related to physical activity, which causes chemical changes in your brain that may lead to improved overall health. Persistent feelings of anxiety, apathy, difficulty concentrating or remembering things, insomnia or even a loss of formerly enjoyable sports activities during the COVID-19 crisis can, on the other hand, lead to moderate or severe mental health disorders.
Application-Based Exercise/Virtual Exercise: Involves the use of technology to provide daily workout routines in some situations during the COVID-19 crisis under strict lockdown rules. There are many free virtual fitness applications, ranging from boxing to yoga, catering for different levels of fitness ability, mobility, and time constraints. Virtual exercising can be cost-effective, immersive, and convenient, but lacks social engagement and encouragement.
Regular Exercise: Has many physical and mental benefits regardless of the intensity of physical activity. Some benefits include improved mood, help in maintaining muscle mass and weight loss, stimulating muscle building, and increased energy levels. On the other hand, lack of regular physical activity may lead to chronic disease, ranging from increased belly fat to type 2 diabetes or heart disease. Regular exercise improves blood flow to the brain, which, consequently, improves brain function, memory and thinking skills. Engaging in regular exercise can also help people sleep better.
Sedentary Lifestyle: Is a lifestyle involving little or no physical activity and can be considered as another pandemic, which will continue long after the world recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic. Sedentary lifestyle and inactivity inevitably lead to obesity, which is a major health challenge facing the modern world.
Long-Term Cognitive Effects of COVID-19: Have become increasingly recognized by researchers, who suggest that COVID infection survivors may experience long-term brain damage due to encephalitis, or may suffer strokes. Lack of oxygen or inflammatory processes can also be the cause of brain damage. Patients’ white matter may frequently be affected by silent strokes, which lead to impaired attention.
Quarantine-Induced Depression/Stress: Is a consequence of mass and self-quarantine and isolation. There are a number of factors leading to this type of depression and stress: prolonged quarantine duration, boredom, (mis)information, lack of emotional support, and poor diet, in addition to job loss, insomnia and reduced physical activity.
Longevity: In the sense of typical length of life, can often be attributed to exercise and a healthy diet. Suffice to say that it is equally important to raise awareness about this during the time of the COVID-19 crisis and during more fortunate times. It has been well established that regular exercise can reverse the effect of the ageing process. A number of studies have shown that maintaining a reasonable amount of exercise prevents the development of certain diseases and increases longevity.