Background: A disease discovered in China, COVID-19, was characterized by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a pandemic in March 2020. Many countries in the world implemented social isolation as a strategy to contain the virus transmission. The same physical distancing which protects society from COVID-19 from spreading may have an impact on the mental health and well-being of the population This study aims to shed some light on this phenomenon by assessing the relationship between physical activity and SWB among individuals in the social isolation period of COVID-19. Methods: Data were collected in Brazil between March 31st and April 2nd, 2020. All volunteers agreed to participate by digitally checking the option of agreement right after reading the Consent Terms. The inclusion criteria were participants over 18 years old who had been in social isolation for at least one week and agreed to the Consent Terms. Three instruments were used: a questionnaire was built for this study which aimed to assess the participants' exercise routine. The second instrument called Psychosocial Aspects, Well-being and Exercise in Confinement (PAWEC) was also created by these researchers and aimed to assess the relationship between well-being and physical activity during the social isolation period. And the third measure was the Brazilian Portuguese-adapted version of the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS). Findings: A total of 592 participants reported being in social isolation for an average of 14.4 (SD=3.3) days. The amount of participants who reported strength training as exercise increased from 31 (5.2%) before isolation to 82 (13.9%) during quarantine. The study shows that well-being related to the practice of physical activity during quarantine is linked to an established routine of physical activity prior to the social isolation period. Interpretation: People who already practiced physical activity feel more motivated to continue practicing during this period and this causes the appearance of positive affects, unlike people who are only now starting to exercise; according to the study, negative aspects can occur for those who are only just starting. In a period of social isolation, it is important that the practice of physical activity is closer to previous habits, also finding that an obligation to exercise during this period when this was not a reality for the person can contribute to an increase in malaise.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was discovered in China and characterized by the World Health Organization as a pandemic in March 2020. Many countries worldwide implemented stringent social isolation as a strategy to contain virus transmission. However, the same physical distancing that protects against the spread of COVID-19 may negatively impact mental health and well-being of the population. The present study sought to shed light on this phenomenon by assessing the relationship between physical activity and subjective well-being (SWB) among individuals who were subjected to social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were collected in Brazil between March 31 and April 2, 2020. All of the volunteers agreed to participate by digitally checking the option of agreement after reading consent terms. The inclusion criteria were participants who had been in social isolation for at least 1 week and agreed to the consent terms. Three instruments were applied. A questionnaire was constructed for this study that assessed the participants’ exercise routines. The Psychosocial Aspects, Well-being, and Exercise in Confinement (PAWEC) scale was created by researchers of this study that assessed the relationship between well-being and physical activity during social isolation. The Brazilian Portuguese-adapted version of the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) was also used. A total of 592 participants (371 female, 220 male, 1 transgender), 14–74 years old (M = 32.39 years, SD = 10.5 years), reported being in social isolation for an average of 14.4 days (SD = 3.3 days). Well-being that was related to the practice of physical activity during quarantine was linked to an established routine of physical activity before the social isolation period. Participants who already practiced physical exercises previously and reported continuing the practice during the quarantine period had higher positive affect scores. Participants who engaged in physical activity without direct guidance only during the quarantine period had higher negative affect scores. Participants who already practiced physical activity felt more motivated to continue practicing physical activity during the social isolation period, resulting in positive affect, unlike participants who began exercising only during quarantine. Our results suggest that negative affect can occur among individuals who only just begin exercising during social isolation, indicating that physical activity should be habitual and not only occur during periods of social isolation. Engaging in exercise only during social isolation may contribute to an increase in malaise.