More than 60-percent of adults reported weight problems during the pandemic, according to the American Psychological Association. And experts have some tips on getting back into your groove. COVID-19 disrupted everyone’s food and exercise routines, stranded many in front of a screen all day, and led to increased isolation. Connie Sobczak heads a nonprofit called “The Body Positive.” She says it’s important for people to be kind and gentle with themselves – and to recognize that our bodies helped us survive the pandemic, when so many others did not.

She urges people to recognize the amount of stress they’ve been under and cut themselves some slack, warning that energy spent feeling negative about their body just adds to the stress and leads to poor health outcomes.