And so we, in the United Kingdom (and indeed in much of Europe) face the prospect of another lockdown without access to gyms during the cold, dark months of autumn.
Not exactly the most tempting of prospects.
In the UK the last lockdown happened in the spring when long, sunny days invited those so interested to take up opportunities for exercise outdoors and what I saw during those months was parks busy with people working out, running and enjoying their time in the fresh air. This time it will be different and the chance to run or exercise outside will be less tempting.
What will be tempting, however, is the contents of our fridges, freezers (I'm thinking ice-cream when I type this) and food cupboards. Combine stress, additional social restrictions and colder, shorter days and you have the perfect recipe for comfort food, comfort food eating and a loss of confidence when that apparent comfort turns into guilt and excess weight.
To avoid this potentially unhealthy scenario it is important in the weeks ahead to remember the golden rules of tackling such a situation, which are to make an effort to remain positive and strong, to control the urge to fill the shopping trolley with brightly coloured and heavily processed foods ("because it will make me feel better"), to exercise no matter how comfortable and warm the sofa is and to retain a focus on the immediate horizon.
Which means not giving up and giving in (as The Three Degrees would have it) and holding to a forward direction which will see the impending restrictions being lifted and life returning to some form of normality in the near future.
That way what lies ahead will be seen for what it really is, a tunnel and not a hole in the ground, and that poor diet and low levels of exercise are a quick detour to becoming a couch potato with low energy and zero morale.
And who wants that?
🥔🤔😎