A Simple Japanese Habit that can Keep You Slim of All Time

September 14, 2022

Woman's Exercise — Photo Credit: Pixabay

It seems that working out is not a very common thing to do in Japan. A global study done in 2021 found that Japanese people don’t spend as much time working out as people in other countries. The average Dutch person works out for 12 hours a week, while the average Japanese person only works out for 3.3 hours. Other information shows that only a small portion of the population has a gym membership, and many people choose not to get one because they don’t like doing that kind of thing. But it’s interesting that, at the same time, Japan has one of the healthiest and longest-living populations in the world. We also tend to think of them as skinny, which is mostly because of their diet but also because of other things they do outside of the gym.

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People in big cities in Japan have a simple habit that helps them stay in shape even as they get older: they walk. Yes. Just walk.

Step by Step

If you’ve seen videos of Japan’s cities, you know that there are a lot of people moving in. A lot of people cross the street at once, but there aren’t many cars. Even though it is one of the countries that buys the most cars, many people choose not to have one because of the high cost and laws that require them to be updated to keep the streets safe (this is why there are always low-mileage cars for sale). Even though many people drive, there are also quite a few who choose to walk because it’s easier, and they usually walk long distances every day. Outside of cities, people are more likely to drive a car, but the people who live there also tend to walk a lot every day.

A 2004 study in Japan found that the more time you spend walking, the less likely you are to die of any cause. We all know that walking is a great way to get your heart rate up, burn calories, and keep you in shape.

So, even though the Japanese say they don’t like to work out or go to the gym, they walk a lot. This, along with their healthy diet, helps them stay healthy in many ways. There are a lot of stories online about people who moved to Japan and lost weight because they got used to walking more to do things like run errands. People ride bikes a lot, but most still prefer to walk.

This is also true in New York, where people would rather walk than spend hours stuck in traffic. In Mexico, on the other hand, many people choose to drive all day while going to the gym.

One more interesting fact is that because most people walk every day, they have better balance and speed as they get older. A study published in 2021 that looked at data from 1998 to 2018 found that both of these things got better for people 65 to 79 years old because walking itself made them fitter. This makes it less likely that an old person will get hurt, fall, or have other problems that are common in other parts of the world.

The lesson is that you should walk every day, or at least try to, and that what you eat is also important.