Covid-19 pandemic forced millions of people across the world to stay in quarantine isolated in their homes and away from their usual routines. Even though in many countries containment measures are gradually being lifted and people have more freedom to go outside, the previous two months had been challenging in terms of staying physically active.
While there is no published evidence that exercise habits have dropped off with the self-isolation and quarantine, some preliminary data suggests people might be moving less in these worrisome times. Fitbit, a company that manufacturers activity trackers and smartwatches, reports [1] that the COVID-19 pandemic has affected physical activity levels for its 30 million or so active users. As they report in their article “The severity of the decline in steps varied from country to country, with European countries showing a more dramatic change, ranging from a 7% to 38% decline in step counts during the week ending March 22, 2020.”
Right now, staying active, exercising regularly at home or even going for a walk is more important than ever before. People spent more time sitting in front of their screen and stress levels are higher, physical activity helps with both physical, social and mental wellbeing.
EuropeActive promotes physical activity and its benefits through all its activities, including through EU funded projects, such as National Fitness Day for Europe. During these challenging times, EuropeActive also launched the #BeActive Hour campaign which will unite Europe on Saturday May 30th at 5pm CET to celebrate the importance of physical activity. More information on www.europeactive.eu