Nearly one in three adults in Britain say they are determined to keep up healthy lifestyle habits they have developed during the coronavirus pandemic, research suggests.
Thirty per cent of people polled for life insurer AIG Life say they will “definitely” maintain healthier habits post-pandemic, while almost half (48%) say they are “aiming” to try to live more healthily.
The pandemic has seen a shift in behaviour among different sets of individuals, with some reporting that they are consuming less alcohol as pubs and bars shut, while others say the opposite as they are drinking more at home than before.
Equally, while some individuals say they are walking more than before the pandemic, others have adopted an even more sedentary lifestyle than before.
But the poll of around 1,000 UK adults by AIG Life found that just 16% of people have taken no action to improve health during the ongoing crisis.
Under-35s are slightly more likely to maintain healthy lifestyle changes, with 32% keen to do so. Even among the over-55s, a similar number (29%) are committed to improving their lifestyles because of coronavirus.
The most popular health improvement reported by the study is going on regular walks, with nearly half (46%) of adults say they are walking more.
Around a third (29%) of adults say they are eating more healthily and 16% have cut down on alcohol consumption during the pandemic.
The biggest threat to maintaining healthy habits as coronavirus eases is lack of time, the research found. Around one in five (18%) say they will struggle to find time to exercise once normality returns.
Sue Helmont, marketing director at AIG Life, said the pandemic restrictions on daily life have been “hard for all of us” but it is a “testament to people’s resilience and willingness to adapt” that so many of us have taken action ourselves to improve our health and are committed to maintaining those changes when life eventually returns to something like normal.
She said: “Keeping up healthier habits is challenging and takes continued willpower so it’s not a surprise that one in 10 of us started lockdown with good health intentions but couldn’t keep good habits up. This pandemic has shown us that we need to consciously manage our health and wellbeing.”
Helmont said that there are “plenty” of sources of advice and help available, including AIG Life’s own Smart Health app.
She said: “If people stick with it, they will see the benefits to their health over time.”