Annc: This ViewFinder episode is supported by UC Davis Health where doctors, nurses and researchers share a passion for advancing health.

Learn more about their latest medical innovations at health.ucdavis.edu.

♪♪ ♪♪ Tyler: How has the pandemic affected our physical and mental health?

Dr. Waite: I don'’t think there was anyone who was not impacted.

Dr. Drake: This is an incredibly stressful event and collective trauma, and no one has control over it really.

Tyler: But we do have control over maintaining a healthy mind and body.

Discover the ways people stayed physically and mentally healthy despite the challenges created by quarantining and social distancing.

Heather: It was their home workouts that really kept us going.

Colin: It ended up being like the outlet that we needed during the pandemic.

Tyler: We'’ll explore activities that kept us safe, fit and better able to maintain mental and emotional balance.

♪♪ It'’s a social experiment no one wanted.

Every single one of us has been affected by COVID 19.

The number of people with moderate or severe symptoms of depression and anxiety increased throughout 2020 and was consistently higher than rates before the pandemic.

Dr. Drake: It'’s been so monumental in its impact.

We saw an increase in need almost immediately.

I was seeing many patients who had no previous history of any problems with depression or anxiety.

They'd never been on medicine.

They'd never seen a psychiatrist or a psychologist before, but just the level of stress, the intensity of it and the combination of the social isolation and the fear really brought a lot of people in for care.

Everyone is experiencing it.

And so having this kind of broad experience.

It's really gone a long way to de-stigmatize depression and anxiety.

Tyler: The pandemic also forced many of us to discover new ways to cope to with the stress.

Dr. Waite: Necessity is the mother of creation, and some people really were creative about it.

Tyler: Hobbies became a very popular way to deal with quarantine life.

Dr. Drake: I have seen a Renaissance in that during the pandemic - People are learning how to cook, people are learning how to knit and crochet.

Often, people underestimate how important hobbies and leisure activities are.

They distract us.

They give us a sense of accomplishment.

They make us happy, and I really want to encourage people to continue them.

We actually understand now that these kinds of activities contribute to overall general health as we get older.

Its keeps our brain healthier.

Tyler: Of course, one of the best ways to combat stress is through exercise.

Dr. Harris: 30 to 60 minutes of exercise a day, even if it's just an indoor dance party, yoga session, whatever it is - exercise helps to burn up stress hormones and release healthy hormones.

Brandee: More parts of your brain will light up as being receptive and being useful.

If you took a pet scan and scans your brain activity.

And so, we know that exercise helps to promote blood flow and the brain and can actually sharpen your brain function even in just a 10 and a 10-minute window.

You always feel better.

You're sharper.

You're more efficient.

You'’re more clear in what you do.

So, all of those things are affected.

♪♪ Tyler: Heather Philips and Colin Stephenson are well versed in understanding the benefits of a healthy lifestyle.

They are, to say the least, an extremely active couple.

Heather: I think that the gym and staying active, I mean, that that's our thing.

We both have always been into fitness.

And I actually joined the gym before we got together.

But I feel like I wasn't as serious with it or as dedicated until we started going and kind of pushing each other and motivating each other.

Cause initially I was only going a few days a week and then once I got him hooked on it, then we were full-time six days a week.

Colin: And then it just kind of ramped up there and then the obsession grew more.

(laughs).

Not a bad one though.

I think it's a good one.

I mean, we talk about that all the time, you know, if you're having like a bad day or you know, you don't feel like your normal self sometimes.

Just going and getting up and being there for an hour can kind of change your day a little bit.

Tyler: Heather and Colin attend the academy training and performance center in downtown Sacramento.

Heather: So, we usually sign up every day for a class.

We usually cap it at one (laughs) It'’s rare if we go more than once.

(laughs) But Monday, Wednesday and Friday we do strength training so it's a lot of weightlifting.

And then Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, we do more cardio based workouts.

Bryan: Shoulder blades and butt.

Colin: It kind of usually takes a lot to miss a day Tyler: Well, the pandemic made them certainly miss more than one day at the gym.

Like many others, their fitness routine was suddenly disrupted Heather: At first, we kinda didn't know what to do.

We wanted to still stay active and make sure, you know, that we were obviously taking care of ourselves because, you know, we had gone from going every day to then having nowhere to go.

Colin: I would characterize it, you know, for us and I'm sure a lot of the other people, it was almost like panic.

And you know people were messaging them on Instagram and like, you know, what are we going to do?

Can we rent equipment?

Byran: So, we knew right off the bat from day one, we have to be able to continue to service our members somehow.

Tyler: Bryan Francis is co-owner of The Academy.

Byran: At that point when we first closed down, we weren'’t even supposed to be outside.

So, we knew we were going to be doing the online thing.

We didn't have an online setup established.

So, we just went with what we already had, which was Instagram.

Bryan: The slower you move up and down, the more control you will have.

So, we'’re going fast as possible.

Keep constant.

Don'’t cheat your reps. Bryan: It was free for anybody.

As long as you had an Instagram account and an internet connection you could follow along with the workout.

Bryan: This is the hip lift part of the move.

Drop back down and then stand.

Bryan: So, we did our workouts on Instagram live.

We did six workouts a week, Monday through Saturday.

We kept it consistent with the same time - eight-thirty in the morning.

Bryan: The lower your squat, the harder it is.

Take one step down and take one step to the right.

Come back to center Heather Every morning we'd wake up and we'd be like, okay, what's the workout.

So, you could either do it with them live and follow along, or you could just do it at your own pace.

And so that was something that was really nice for us for a long time, because we had no home gym equipment.

I don't think we had a single thing, a single dumbbell.

We did eventually cave and got on Craigslist and tried to find a barbell.

And we bought one that was very old for a shameful amount of money Bryan: We knew how challenging it was to get fitness equipment two weeks into the pandemic because every place was either sold out or the cost was doubled.

The expectation was people don't have anything.

So, the majority of our workouts consists of just body weight movements.

And then we started doing things where we would tell people to grab a backpack.

Hopefully people still have books at home, right?

They could throw some books in the backpack, throw some canned foods in there, stuff it with a towel so stuff's not shaking all around and then just follow along with the workout that we did.

Colin: They did all kinds of things that made it fun and kept a little bit of your sanity.

That was the one thing that we were still able to hold onto and still stay active as much as you could and with the tools that we had, which was not very many Bryan: We had a lot of support.

A lot of people would repost reshare.

Tyler: Heather and Colin were among some members who reposted Bryan'’s instagram videos to their own instagram account.

Before long it inspired them to start creating their own workout videos.

Heather: While they were posting their videos of them working out.

I was like '‘Oh I should film us doing the workouts too.

'’ Colin: That was her wanting to post, or that was her idea not me.

(laughs) Tyler: They too got creative with their workouts.

Heather: We got a golden retriever and I have a video of me squatting him at the beginning and at the end and he's like a hundred-pound difference and it was crazy how many people were like, messaging me being like, this is so cool.

You guys that you're like, you know, staying active and, you know, still working out.

And a lot of people even were like, you know, this motivated me to get up and like start working out, which I did not think was going to happen at all.

I thought people would be like, okay guys, we get it.

You're still working out.

(laughs).

That kind of became an everyday thing.

Cause it was, you know, our way of, I guess, keeping each other accountable and when we would feel tired or you know, not wanting to just work out kind of helped us through it I feel like a little bit.

Colin: Also, kind of giving you a little bit of structure for your day.

I thought that kept me mentally sane in that respect.

Colin: There you go Bryan: I think the great thing about them is they have the support of each other.

They'’re definitely two of the hardest working people.

I can't remember a single day during that entire three months that we were closed down, that they did not join in with the workouts that we were doing.

And they're still like that today.

They were there day one when we reopened, and they still show up six days a week.

Heather: They really did what they could to not only keep us going and keep us healthy, but also, you know, keep themselves afloat.

And so that's why, you know, the second that they reopened, we were like the first ones knocking on the door, ready to work out Bryan: Before we get going, we do have a class of 35 people Heather: You think that like those things will always be there.

Oh, like I will just go later or I will just go tomorrow.

It's crazy how much we missed it when we couldn't go anymore.

I don't think we'll ever take that for granted anymore.

You know, when we look back on you know, being quarantined and in COVID, I think that we'll see obviously how much of a role that the Academy and the home workouts and all of that kind of kept us sane gave us something to look forward to and we still kind of felt like we were working out with them virtually.

And I know looking back, that's going to be kind of a highlight of that period of our life.

Colin: It ended up being like the outlet that we needed during the pandemic.

Dr. Waite: I certainly for people who, you know, like taking Zumba classes or who like, you know, engaging at the gym with the other people in there spinning class or, you know, weight training in their group.

And when that shut down, you know, you don't get the same camaraderie from, from the group that you work out with and it broke some of their social connectedness as well.

We think about being social with our family but many people are social in the groups that they exercise with, if you play basketball or you've got, you know, a softball crew Tyler: Or a pickleball crew.

♪♪ These seniors are happy to once again be playing the sport they love so much.

Vicki: Getting back to playing was wonderful.

I love the game and I love the people.

I missed all of them.

Well, most of them (laughs) ♪♪ Bill: I'm 64 years old, and one of the main reasons why I really enjoy pickleball is it'’s just fun being out there.

It'’s a lot of good healthy fun.

Tyler: Vickie Estrada and Bill Okuno are part of a pickleball group made up almost entirely of seniors and they welcomed the reopening of the recreation center'’s indoor courts after they were closed for several months due to the pandemic.

Bill: We try to get out to play pickup ball at least twice a week.

Before the pandemic we used to go maybe three times a week Vickie: I played four times or five times a week before COVID Tyler: Early in the pandemic, no one in the group played the sport.

However, eventually people were allowed to play outside.

Bill: When they did open up the tennis courts, we were able to get the pickleball group together and play outdoors in a safe manner.

Tyler: This group certainly wasn'’t the only one to play pickleball outdoors during the pandemic.

News Anchor: It'’s being called the fastest growing sport in America.

It'’s called pickleball.

Pickleball, pickleball, pickleball, pickleball has become a great alternative.

Tyler: With many gyms and other recreation centers closed, this outdoor activity became a popular alternative.

In fact, pickleball participation grew by more than 21 percent in 2020 as Americans looked for new ways to stay active.

Players: Good game.

Good game.

Pickleball rocks!

Tyler: Unlike a lot of team sports, pickleball is not a contact sport.

Players stay a safe distance apart from one another during a game.

One reason why it took off during the pandemic.

Vickie: You'’re not right up next to anyone so it'’s pretty safe.

Bill But close enough to where you can trash talk people and make fun of people.

And that's part of the fellowship and camaraderie that made it fun, Tyler: So, what exactly is pickleball?

Bill: It's a cross between badminton, ping pong and tennis Tyler: Players use special paddles and a whiffle ball.

The nets and court sizes are smaller than their tennis counterparts and the game can be played by singles or in pairs, either indoors or outside.

Both Bill and Vickie say they realize the value of staying active and healthy in their golden years.

Bill: I always believe that movement is medicine.

You got to keep moving.

You got to keep doing things.

Vicki: Pickleball has helped me a lot because when I finish playing.

I'm invigorated.

I'm sweaty.

I feel good for exercising and being a senior citizen, if you don't use it, you're gonna lose it.

Tyler: For Vickie, that perspective was strengthened after she stopped playing for several months.

Vickie: Right after COVID I isolated myself.

I didn't go out of the house other than to go grocery shopping.

I was afraid of catching COVID because as you know, as you get older, you're more susceptible to everything.

And it was not a good thing.

It wasn't a good thing for my health or my psyche.

It wasn'’t good and once I got back into it, it was very, very difficult for me.

Actually, breathing was hard for me during the first game and my stamina was gone.

So, you need to really keep on exercising and just staying healthy.

Dr. Drake: I don'’t think a lot of folks even understand how social we really are.

It is in our DNA.

We are social.

And group-based beings.

And we find from all the literature that it does have a significant impact on not only mental health, but physical health.

So, if you have a good social network and you feel supported, you're going to be more likely to get out and exercise.

And you're going to end up being less depressed.

Tyler: Certainly, exercise has its benefits, but it'’s not a cure-all for all the challenges this pandemic has created.

Parenting has been a challenge for millions of people.

Each parent faced it in different ways.

For new mom Jenni Gomez, it was an exercise studio community that ended up helping her through this unprecedented time Jenni: I had heard that prenatal yoga was something that parents should do.

So, I thought, okay, let me give it a try.

Tyler: Jenni discovered a studio called the root.

not only is it a prenatal and postpartum exercise studio, but'’s it'’s also a childbirth education center for pregnant women & new parents.

Jenni: I was pretty excited that it was a place that not only had the prenatal yoga class, but it seemed like, you know, sort of this community for parents.

And that's what I was also looking for.

So, it was kind of like, I got a two for one, right?

Pretty quickly I saw the physical and emotional effects honestly.

Every week that I started doing prenatal yoga, I noticed a difference.

Kellie: Maybe notice in your body where you'’re feeling the breath.

Slowly exhale out.

Kellie: My philosophy with prenatal yoga is that pregnant people are very strong and they can do a lot more than we give them credit for Kellie: So, as you breath in maybe pause at the top of the inhale.

Kellie: It ind of gets your body to start preparing for getting through an intense sensation with breathing and staying in it Kellie: Stay in it.

Breath in and breath out.

Kellie: I was already in the birth world before I did my yoga training and I think that they marry so well together.

So much of the mind, body connection, the breathing through something intense, the kind of runner's high you get after an intense yoga class and you get after birth often too.

Like it all fit together so well for me and helped me with my own mental health to have that physical processing of emotions Jenni: Just knowing that I had that hour after work was nice, you know, being a full-time working pregnant person.

You know, you don't, you always leave a lot of space for self-care.

And I really felt like that was an hour that I could give back to myself and connect to my belly.

I went to prenatal yoga from my second trimester all the way up until the night that I went into labor with my daughter.

So, I went in, I went through that yoga class on a Wednesday night and within three hours, I started having labor contractions Tyler: Jenni had her daughter, Sierra at the end of November 2019.

And she continued to take yoga and other parenting classes offered at the root.

But then the pandemic hit.

Jenni: She was just a few months old when March 2020 rolled around, and the world shut down.

It was such a surreal time, trying to grasp motherhood.

This is my first child, so you know, I was faced with trying to understand the parenting journey and trying to navigate a pandemic.

Kellie'’s studio played one role for me and how I could find community during the pandemic Tyler: Even when Covid 19 forced many businesses to close or cut back, Kellie continued to offer classes and support for her community at the root.

Jenni: I honestly credit Kellie and all of the small business owners in our community who had to pivot so quickly to an online model despite everything that was happening and to provide us with that stability.

Kellie: Let'’s start by sitting up nice and tall.

You can have your legs crossed or if there'’s something else that feels more comfortable you can do that.

Kellie: People were needing that education and support.

Even more than maybe they did before.

So having that additional support was really vital.

Kellie: How are you?

Jenni: Kellie created these community calls during the pandemic to bring folks together that are part of the root.

Kellie: Sierra'’s been that way since what?

When did she start walking?

Jenni: Oh, she was an early walker.

I think she started walking at 10 months.

Jenni: There's no structure to these community calls.

It's just, you know, everyone has a place to talk Jenni: When are you due?

I'’m due at the end of September.

Jenni: Oh, that'’s so exciting.

When did you have your baby Fiona?

Fiona: In April of 2020.

Jenni: You just need to talk about what's happening in your life as a parent.

This is your chance and your forum to do that.

And what's really neat is that even though they were started in the middle of the pandemic, she's still doing them.

Kellie: Hi Sierra!

What do you think, big girl?

Can you wave?

Jenni: Can you wave?

Jenni: I definitely think that being part of a community whether it's a family community or social support, or in this case, you know, an exercise studio...

I think having to find that sense of community wherever you find it during the pandemic was so important, at least to me.

I told you physically, mentally emotionally like psychologically.

I mean I can go on and on all of these triggers from the pandemic, right?

You know, just thrown at you constantly.

And nothing's certain, nothing's secure.

It's just really nice to have that support that I need as I'm journeying through this world being a parent during the pandemic, after the pandemic Jenni: We got our cute little hats.

Mommy and Me hats.

That Lynette made us.

Kellie: For those of you who don'’t know me.

I'’m Kellie, I own the studio here so I'’m excited to be helping you plan for your births today.

Kellie: Having the business in some ways was a gift during the pandemic because it made my struggling during the pandemic less so just because I had something to focus on.

Jenni: Kellie during this entire time, you know, going through her own things was still putting herself out there and still doing everything she could to help other people feel like they weren't isolated.

Kellie: It's hardwired into my DNA to be a helper and to be supportive of other people, so it gives me - it makes me feel good to help other people or to let someone else know that they're not alone.

Jenni: I want to say from the bottom of my heart, how grateful I am.

Thank you Kellie for everything you'’ve given to us as parents.

It's meant a lot to me personally.

And I know that there are so many parents out there that appreciate everything that you've done for us Dr. Harris: I think there are always silver linings.

I think that we have a deeper sense now of how connected we all are.

Dr. Drake: If somebody goes through life and doesn't ever have a stress, they don't grow as a person.

They don'’t become stronger.

Bryan: It's rewarding and it's definitely humbling because you've impacted these people's lives enough that they're continuing to support you.

Jenni: I don't think anyone can say that they've come out of the pandemic the same person they were in February 2020 Dr. Waite: I think there are people who found something new that they liked.

Hopefully people grab onto that with both hands and hold tight.

And whether it's the gym or the trails.

Or the streaming apps... just not letting those things become a way of the past.

Don't waste a crisis only on the bad.

You have to look at the good that comes out of it.

♪♪ Annc: This ViewFinder episode is supported by UC Davis Health where doctors, nurses and researchers share a passion for advancing health.

Learn more about their latest medical innovations at health.ucdavis.edu.

♪♪