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Soak up the SAMURAI SPIRIT Japan has just staged the IAAF World Championships and its people can probably teach the rest of the world a thing or two about staying fit and healthy ONE of the things immediately noticeable to many visitors to the recent IAAF World Championships was that there very few overweight people in Osaka. In addition to this, the locals were friendly and relaxed. They spent most of their time walking or cycling around and nibbling sushi or noodles. Consequently, it is no coincidence to learn that Japan has the best life expectancy rates in the world. Life expectancy in Britain is pretty good, due to the fact we are a developed nation. But a Japanese man can expect to live for an average of 81.3 years compared to 77.9 years in the UK and 76.9 years in the US. When it comes to women, the statistics are just as emphatic, with Japanese women’s life expectancy recently rising to an incredible 85.5 years. In addition to this, the number of centenarians in Japan has doubled in the last five years alone and now stands at just over 20,000.
General health aside, the Japanese may
not have enjoyed a successful week in Osaka when it came to winning
athletics medals, but the nation has a rich history in distance
running particularly and has produced, for example, the most recent
two Olympic women’s marathon champions – Naoko Takahashi in Sydney
2000 and So how do the Japanese do it? What is the secret behind their superb fitness levels and formidable endurance? Here are five probable reasons: ► Diet: The Japanese have a saying that they only eat until they are 80 per cent full and then they stop. This has resulted in just 3.2 per cent of the population being obese compared to 23 per cent in the UK. But in addition to not over-eating, they also eat foods that are low in saturated fats and cholesterol. Popular ingredients in Japanese diet include: fish, seaweed, tofu, soya beans, rice and soba noodles. They also drink lots of green tea, which is known to have positive health effects. ► Lots of exercise: Go into any open area, such as a park, early in the morning in Japan and the chances are you will find people doing tai chi, walking or running. Tai chi is especially popular with the older sections of the population and is basically a martial art which originated in China and features slow, graceful movements. Research has found that regular tai chi helps improve flexibility and cardiovascular fitness and reduced the risk of falls in old age. It has also been shown that tai chi’s gentle, low impact movements burn more calories than surfing and nearly as many as downhill skiing. ► Alternative medicine: practices that might seem unorthodox in the UK are commonplace in Japan. From Shiatsu (a form of hands-on therapy) to Reiki (a type of spiritual practice used to heal injuries and illnesses) to the titanium ‘Phiten’ necklaces and bracelets worn by Paula Radcliffe, among others, the Japanese have developed their own brand of alternative health treatments. ► Relaxation: In addition to diet and exercise, it is thought a major contributing factor toward the Japanese’ good health is the huge degree of personal contentment found among its people. There is considerably more social networking in Japan than anywhere else in the world (not just on the Internet on sites like MySpace either, but involving real, face-to-face interactions!). You cannot travel far too without coming across shrines and temples, with Shintoism and Buddhism the main religions. ► Health system: Annual health checks are the norm in Japan and universal health insurance was achieved back in the 1960s. Add to this a generous state pension and it means poverty in old age is rare – all of which helps the life expectancy rates. Global life expectancy rates (men) 1 Japan 81.3 2 Sweden 79.9 3 Canada 79.2 4 Spain 79.1 5 Switzerland 79.0 5eq Australia 79.0 7 Israel 78.9 8 Norway 78.7 8eq France 78.7 10 Italy 78.6 15 UK 77.9 18 US 76.9 Source: UN Development Programme
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