From fast walking in Japan to Swedish interval training, some countries seem to have cracked the code to exercise by incorporating it into their daily habits. We found out how they do it
We all know that doing regular exercise is good for our health. But fitting movement into daily life can be tough, particularly if you’re balancing a busy work, home and social life.
You might feel like it’s not worth working out at all if you’ve skipped your usual one-hour gym session or morning run, but taking a little-and-often approach to movement could help you do it more consistently, which is key.
“Over the long term, one of the most important things in fitness is consistency, the ability for us to make fitness a regular part of our day-to-day routines,” says personal trainer Eloise Skinner.
In the UK, a lot of people lead fairly sedentary lifestyles, sitting down while commuting, working at a desk all day, then slouching on the couch in the evening, with one in four people completing fewer than 30 minutes of physical activity a week.
In other cultures, though, movement comes more naturally. In fact, some countries seem to have cracked the code to regularly exercising, making it part of their usual routines, or incorporating it into habits that are already part of their lives, rather than trying to find large chunks of their days to exercise.
“It’s more helpful to undertake consistent fitness-related activities over decades of our lives than it is for us to go all-in for a short period of time, but be unable to sustain it in the longer term,” Skinner explains. “Making small changes to our routine, such as taking a longer route to walk to work, or consistently taking the stairs instead of the lift, might not result in physical transformations, but can help us to steadily develop a lifestyle that, over time, becomes more beneficial for our fitness level.”
So how exactly do they do it? Below, we’ve compiled five lazy fitness secrets from some of the healthiest countries in the world.
How the Japanese stay slim – by walking
Japan is one of the most active countries, with 98 per cent of children walking and biking to school, which pays off, as they also have one of the highest life expectancies in the world. The average man will live to 84.5, while the average woman lives until 87.2 – both numbers that have steadily increased with time.
Despite their active lifestyles, less than five per cent of the Japanese population have a gym membership, according to Statista. That’s because they incorporate exercise into their day-to-day life. For example, a common form of exercise is something referred to as Japanese walking, which involves completing intervals of fast and slow walking.
Research on Japanese walking published in 2007 looked at people completing three minutes of fast walking, followed by three minutes of slow walking for five sets, which amounts to 30 minutes of movement, for five days per week in total.
The study found that Japanese walking was more efficient than regular walking and could improve blood pressure, blood glucose, body mass index (BMI), aerobic capacity and strength. This is something you can do during regular walks, or even if you walk part of your commute.
Try ‘fartlek’, to get fit with Swedish efficiency
Nearly 70 per cent of Swedish adults complete at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise a week, which is one of the reasons they’re considered one of the healthiest countries in Europe, if not the world.
If you want to take a leaf out of their book, try the Swedish concept of “fartlek”, which is now used worldwide as a running technique. It involves alternating between fast-paced running and slower running, which is better known as interval training. It’s time-efficient, as it means you can get your heart rate up in a short amount of time, which is key to improving your fitness (similarly to Japanese walking).
The three-minute habit the Japanese do for a longer life
Another reason Japan is such a healthy country is that a large portion of the population takes part in daily exercise known as “rajio taiso”, which translates to radio callisthenics.
It’s a three-minute bodyweight routine that is broadcast on Japanese television each day and followed along by people of all ages. As of 2019, it was estimated that 27 million people do the 13 rajio tasio exercises at least twice a week. Studies have found that just five minutes per day of exercise can significantly improve fitness and mental health, especially when done consistently.
Reduce blood sugar with an Italian evening walk
“La passeggiata” is an Italian tradition that refers to an evening stroll, usually before dinner, but sometimes afterwards. The idea is to walk with no purpose or destination, just to enjoy the evening, and it’s a common cultural practice amongst all generations in Italy.
Italy boasts a blue-zone area (the mountainous Sardinia), as does Japan, which are geographic regions where people have been found to live the longest.
Alongside diet and other lifestyle factors, one of the reasons researchers believe people live long lives in blue zones is because they walk often. Walking around mealtimes is particularly beneficial. One study found that for people with type 2 diabetes, light exercise close to the time of eating is more beneficial for blood sugar levels than intense exercise at another point during the day.
Build muscle by squatting like they do in China and Thailand
In countries like Thailand and China, squatting is very common. Not in the gym or as part of workout classes, but during day-to-day life. It’s common to squat while eating, or instead of standing, and even while using the toilet, as many toilets in Thailand, for example, are squat toilets (as of 2013, about 90 per cent of households in Thailand had squat toilets).
Squats are one of the best compound exercises you can do to build muscle and maintain good joint health. In fact, studies have found that squatting can increase leg strength, grip strength (which is a good indicator of overall health) and lung function in elderly populations.
Another study, published in 2023, found that just one minute of squats for every 20 minutes of sitting could improve brain power. You don’t necessarily need to forgo sitting on the toilet to experience their benefits, but think about how you could incorporate squats into your day. For example, try doing ten every time you brush your teeth, or sitting in a squat for a minute before you sit down to watch TV.