On the contrary, as a country with a long life expectancy and a very low obesity rate (4.3% is the lowest among high-income developed countries), you may be surprised to find that there is not much shadow of fitness culture in Japan. Sports and leisure style is not a big deal in Japan, and not many people have gym members. People may seldom exercise during their lunch break, and those who exercise are likely to be regarded as enthusiastic fitness enthusiasts.
What's going on here?
Lotte Insight surveyed 1000 Japanese citizens aged between 20 and 60, and nearly half of them said that they seldom exercised or even went there once a month. Most people don't take exercise as part of their lifestyle because they have no time or just don't like it.
If you deeply study the significance of sports to the Japanese, you will find that sports is equivalent to daily exercise in Japan. But the possible form of exercise is not necessarily going to the gym to lift weights or running 10 km. In other words, maybe the exercise we need is one that is integrated into our lifestyle: walking.
To sum up, it is not that exercise is not important to keep healthy, but that in the Japanese way of exercise, perhaps most people do not regard it as exercise. Adult Japanese walk an average of 6,500 steps a day, of which adult males aged 20 to 50 are close to 8,000 steps, while females aged 20 to 50 are around 7,000 steps on average.
Okinawa people are especially famous for their walking culture, and they are especially good at integrating sports into their daily lives. Nagano Prefecture is a rural area in Japan. By building more than 65,438+000 pedestrian walkways, residents in Nagano Prefecture have greatly reduced the stroke rate, and now Nagano Prefecture has the highest longevity rate in Japan.
The first thing we think of to do is to make people walk. Everyone can do it. Talking while walking and talking about the exercise you get while walking will build a sense of community and drive everyone.
Akiko Nagano, Mayor of Matsumoto City
Most Japanese citizens live in a city that is very suitable for walking. The transportation in the city is inexpensive, convenient and safe, and there are not many families with cars. Therefore, most people walk at work. When people buy food, they walk. People walk when they go out to eat. This is a daily activity of every generation: walking has become a part of their daily life like breathing.
Steps to improve lifelong health
This is not against planned physical exercise. I like exercising, too. I spend some time running, cycling, swimming and some gymnastics every week. I don't doubt the benefits of sweating and find that it can promote my physical and mental health.
But fitness culture may make those who are not used to it unbearable, and excessive fitness may continue the cycle of shame and guilt. It may make us think that only those who concentrate on lifting weights and spend time running every day can achieve and maintain a healthy weight.
On the contrary, this study shows that just as a healthy diet is not just about eating salad, healthy exercise is not necessarily just about exercise-all you need to do for your lifestyle fitness may be to walk a little more.