Wellness Wednesday

Eight Foreign Nations' Tips for Quality Exercise

The United States is known for doing everything bigger and better, but sometimes that can be intimidating for those just entering the wellness & fitness market. Here are some other nations' tips for keeping healthy.

1) Australia

High intensity exercise routines are the latest trend in American gyms and fitness facilities, however, Australian fitness trends go beyond focusing strictly on strength, cardio and flexibility and focus more on coordination. The Feldenkrais Method is popular in Australia, as a part of somatic fitness education focus.

2) France

Portions in America are huge, and everything has a supersized option. That's not the case in France, however, where "there's a culture of enjoying your food and experiencing your food and not rushing through it,". Research agrees with the French state of mind in regards to eating, as good eating habits lead to a reduced risk of obesity and other obesity related diseases such as type-2 diabetes.

3) Iceland

Pools can be found in the United States, but usually not without having to pay for a membership. This is not the case in Iceland, where they're everywhere and usually low cost or free. The pools not only increase cardiovascular health, but also increase the feeling of social solidarity among citizens as well, leading to improved social health and well-being.

4) India

Ditching your shoes at the door doesn't just improve your standing of respect in a person's household in India, it also improves your health and well being. When walking barefoot, the nerve endings on our foot are excited and massaged by all the different surfaces that they touch, encouraging more walking and possibly improving inflammation and the immune system. However, those with diabetes and nerve pain should consult a physician before taking on this lifestyle change.

5) Japan

Everything in America moves rather fast, and taking a day for yourself to go to the spa or enjoy a relaxing bath are often unattainable tasks. However in Japan, they are almost a daily occurrence. As a result of this dedication to daily relaxation time, Japanese citizens' muscles, metabolism and stress levels are much higher than other nations who do not take time to relax, such as in the United States.

6) Pakistan

Devout Muslims in Pakistan don't just experience a mental health boost from the meditation of prayer, but the inadvertent yoga poses that accompany daily prayer bring a variety of health boosting effects. These effects include a regularized sleep schedule, an increase in dopamine, a higher pain tolerance in migraine sufferers, and lower blood pressure.

7) Sweden

Supermarkets in America host a variety of foods, even when their not in-season, which may not be for the better. Supermarkets in Sweden don't carry foods that are out of season, leading to their citizens eating healthier in-season foods as a type of celebration.

8) United Kingdom

Fridges in the U.K. are very small compared to their American counterparts, leading to the goods that they contain being fresh and not heavily processed. The freshness of the food, leads to more dining-in experiences, rather than the dining-out culture experienced in the United States. This is important, because dining-in usually leads to less calories being consumed compared to calories consumed when dining-out.