ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — The COVID-19 pandemic has shaken up many of our daily routines, from what we eat to if and when we exercise, and according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, obesity rates nationwide are rising dramatically.

Florida's obesity rate is 28.6%, and 16 states now have obesity rates of 35% or higher, in part, due to job loss, sedentary lifestyles and stress, the CDC reports. 

This latest health trend is serious for many, but changes in personal lifestyles and habits can be made to improve your health, doctors say.

Inside her Bam Barre studio in Maitland, owner Christy Noone helps many in the community get back on track. Noone said she loves helping the adults who walk through her doors on their journey to improve their mental and physical wellness, and being there when they reach health milestones as they go. 

“Most people I talk to say, ‘I want to try it, but I’m intimidated,’ ” Noone said. 

Whether it’s at a gym or a group fitness studio like hers, Noone said the important thing is to start a fitness routine and stick with it.  

“We have all different ages — and the benefit of this, of barre, is that you can do it at any age," she said. "It’s a low-impact workout, so you can do it for a lifetime. We have some mother-daughter couples that come that are anywhere from 30 to 70 years old, so it’s for everybody."

But helping people lead healthier lives is about much more than just getting back in shape or losing weight, doctors say.

Dr. Sharon Wasserstrom, an internal medicine physician and lifestyle medicine expert with the University of Central Florida's College of Medicine, said cutting down on obesity is important, too. 

Obesity often is associated with other health challenges, and people who are obese are also more likely to have complications from COVID-19, Wasserstrom said. 

“So, obesity has become an epidemic," she said. "It’s really all over the world and definitely in the United States, growing and growing."

Reducing the nation’s steadily climbing obesity rates will require people to make big lifestyle changes, Wasserstrom said, including implementing a regular fitness routine, reducing stress levels and improving nutrition overall.

“It’s really, like, the most effective treatment, if you implement it,” she said.

When it comes to stepping up that fitness routine, Noone said not to focus on the physical results right away.

“I think No. 1 is to feel how you’re going to feel after the class,” she said. “Don’t get stuck on, ‘How am I going to get through the class?’ Think of the benefits after, how good it’s going to feel. It’s going to energize your day.

"You’ll get that serotonin going in the brain and feel more confident. I mean, for me personally, I have a lot more energy and clarity during the day when I get that workout in right away."

Noone said it’s easy to understand why the added stress and uncertainty during the pandemic led to increases in obesity. But she believes small changes can help to turn around that trend, one day at a time.

“I think we all fall into that slump, I mean, and once you get into that rut, it’s hard to get out of it,” she said. “But it just takes one step.”

A big piece of the puzzle when it comes to overcoming obesity also means changing up your diet, Wasserstrom said. She recommends finding fruits and vegetables you like and making sure they take up half of your plate when you have a meal.

It’s also important to include more plant proteins along with animal protein, she said.

“Where are you going to be feeling fuller? When you’re full of fiber and your stomach is stretching and the fibers in your stomach stretching give your brain a signal that you shouldn’t eat any more,” Wasserstrom said. “But if you have this much meat in your stomach and you have 500 calories, you still don’t feel full so you feel like adding another 500 on top of that.” 

Wasserstrom recommends combining a changed diet with stress reduction and regular exercise.

While these changes can require a big adjustment, she said her clients who make them see lasting improvements to their health.