14 things about living healthfully I’ve learned from life in Japan
What makes living in Japan different?
I’ve lived in the US, and I’ve lived in Japan. I’ve lived in modest suburban communities, and I’ve lived in the biggest city in the world. The privilege of living in different parts of the world has shown me that the science between health, nutrition, and fitness doesn’t change no matter where you live.
Japan may enjoy radically lower obesity rates and longer longevity than some of their western counterparts, but the people are not somehow genetically special or naturally more disciplined human beings — humans are not so different from each other.
The difference really comes down to our understanding of how to live and our values around health. Because sometimes a different perspective can be the difference between an effortless healthy lifestyle, and constantly being on a stressful diet.
Life in Japan showed me that.
