‘You Britons go to the pub, we go to the swimming pool!’: the European well being habits value adopting | Well being & wellbeing

‘You come with your parents, then later your girlfriend or boyfriend’

Iceland: swimming pool tradition

There are stated to be 160 swimming pools in Iceland. With a inhabitants of simply over 400,000, this implies one for each 2,500 folks. Just as nicely, as swimming is so ingrained within the nationwide psyche. This is a reasonably latest phenomenon: in 1940 swimming classes turned necessary for schoolchildren in response to drownings that had been the results of earlier poor competency.

“We were brought up in the swimming pool,” says film-maker Jón Karl Helgason, who made the 2022 documentary Sundlaugasögur (Swimming Pool Stories). “They are everyone’s playground. You come with your parents, then later your girlfriend or boyfriend.”

Helgason swims virtually daily in Reykjavík and pays 4,000 krona (£25) a yr for limitless entry to his favorite public pool, certainly one of 18 within the capital. The majority of swimming pools are outdoor and geothermally heated, making it a extra inexpensive pastime than in international locations that should warmth the water, Helgason says.

As nicely as the plain bodily advantages of swimming, there are psychological good points, too, by way of the sense of group that swimming pools present: “You meet lots of different people, from farmers to politicians,” Helgason says. Many swimming pools have “hot pots” (scorching tubs) – a nod to the nation’s pure springs, that are additionally common for a wilder dip – and chilly plunges for cold-water remedy, together with saunas. “No phones are allowed.”

There is a marketing campaign for Iceland’s swimming pools to be given Unesco cultural heritage status. “You Britons go to the pub, but we go to the swimming pool,” Helgason says.

‘There’s nothing that’s not been put in a jar’

Ukraine: fermentation

While sauerkraut, gherkins and kefir could also be acquainted, even modern menu selections throughout Europe, fermented meals are a long-term staple in Ukraine. Felicity Spector, the London-based writer of Bread and War, works with the nonprofit Bake for Ukraine, which runs a cell bakery in Mykolaiv, making and delivering sourdough bread. Visiting repeatedly because the summer time of 2022, Spector has been struck by the nation’s dedication to preserving. “Most people, or certainly their parents, will have some kind of land to grow fruit and vegetables, and they are used to trying to preserve things for the winter months, when nothing grows. It happened during Soviet times, because people didn’t trust there would be anything in the shops, and now, during the invasion, people have been without power, or in areas under attack, so they couldn’t get to the shops.

“I learned from Ukrainian chef Olia Hercules about lacto-fermentation using salt and brine,” Spector says – an alternative choice to the vinegar utilized in pickling. “Vegetables are preserved by dry salting, then putting a weight on top, or covering them in brine, leaving in a dark place for 10 days or so, then sealing and keeping for up to a year.” Spector describes rows and rows of crammed jars in basements, cabinets and even beneath beds.

While it isn’t at all times a consciously wholesome consuming selection, there are apparent advantages to this sort of weight-reduction plan, with naturally fermented merchandise containing probiotics that may strengthen the intestine microbiome, restore its pure steadiness and cut back irritation. “There are lots of kinds of kefir and cheese made from fermented milk, which is good for your digestive system. There is ryazhenka – an amazing baked fermented milk product with a slightly caramel taste – and sourdough which is a traditional way of making bread. All these things have health benefits, but they’re not a new trend. It’s been going for hundreds of years.” Whereas in England, kefir is a well being product and costly, there “you can buy a huge jug of it … You often see it sold in an old Coca-Cola bottle on the edge of the market.”

Aside from the same old suspects, loads of fruits are fermented, to bridge winter’s hungry hole. Spector has simply acquired a container of juicy plums with a bitter tang: “There’s really nothing that’s not been put in a jar.”

‘Smaller, more frequent meals keep energy levels and focus steady’

Switzerland: consuming 5 instances a day

Rather than grazing all through the day, the Swiss have historically scheduled 5 meals, as punctual as their trains. In German-speaking areas, these are zmorge (breakfast), znüni (mid-morning snack), zmittag (lunch), zvieri (afternoon snack) and znacht (dinner). The further meals are noticed in French-speaking areas, too, says Sandra Mikhail, a dietitian in Zurich: “Most Swiss people I work with average around four meals: breakfast, lunch, afternoon snack and dinner.”

The morning snack is usually spelt bread-based, fruit or a gipfeli (croissant). The afternoon snack is heartier, possibly dips or bircher muesli. Lunch is the day’s largest meal, “to align with our circadian rhythms and digestion – our metabolism and insulin sensitivity are generally stronger earlier,” Mikhail says. “A lighter dinner can improve sleep quality and reduce overnight digestive discomfort, and having smaller, more frequent meals can help keep energy levels and focus steady. It also aids digestion, as smaller meals are easier for the body to process, reducing the likelihood of discomfort and bloating. By regulating appetite and preventing overeating, frequent meals support better appetite control, can contribute to weight management and provide support for muscle maintenance and growth.

“That said,” Mikhail concedes, “it is important to recognise that every person has unique needs. It is about tuning into your own hunger and fullness cues rather than rigidly following a set number of meals.”

‘A firm walk and strong wind shift our mood’

The Netherlands: embracing the breeze

If you reside in a really blustery place, there may be nothing to be carried out however embrace the breeze. That is what the Dutch have been doing for hundreds of years, says Arie Boomsma, who owns a fitness center chain within the Netherlands and is writer of 10,000 Stappen Boek (10,000 Steps Book), which attracts on the phenomenon of uitwaaien

– a time period “the Dutch use when they go outside to clear their minds of everyday overwhelm,” Boomsma says. “It comes from waaien, ‘to be moved by the wind’, combined with uit, ‘going outward or letting something go’. In the 17th century it was used to describe smoke or dust being blown away. In the 19th and 20th centuries it took on its modern sense: going out to let the wind clear your head.”

It shouldn’t be confused with the opposite Dutch idea niksen (the artwork of doing nothing), Boomsma provides. “Niksen is a passive way of relaxing. Uitwaaien is active. You have to move. A firm walk and a strong wind can really change our mood and shift our perspective.”

‘Eating together shows a desire to reconnect’

Denmark: communal eating

Danes are revisiting the custom of fællesspisning, or consuming communally, in accordance with Judith Kyst. As director of Madkulturen (meals tradition), an organisation inside the ministry of meals and agriculture that displays the nation’s dietary habits, Kyst is aware of a factor or two about how Denmark dines. There is a protracted historical past of social eating, she says, which has its roots within the folkekøkken (soup kitchen) custom relationship again to the Nineteenth-century labour motion, when inexpensive meals could be offered for staff. It entails wholesome fare, typically cooked by a group collectively and eaten at lengthy tables by individuals who don’t essentially know one another, in venues from village halls to daycare centres. Renewed enthusiasm for this demonstrates a must “be together around the meal”, Kyst says. “It is a counter-reaction to individualism, loneliness and screentime” and exhibits a “desire to reconnect with the community”.

So what are you able to count on to eat? “To keep it cheap you often get chickpea curries and lots of greens,” Kyst says. This affordability makes it accessible and innately wholesome. “When you have families at these meals, the children eat more fruit and vegetables. People say if they eat together, they eat healthier.” It connects with one other Danish idea, madglæde, or taking pleasure in meals.

‘Rest is embraced’

Spain: the siesta

When digital distractions appear to be robbing us of relaxation, a unique angle to sleep is engaging. Look no additional than the normal Spanish siesta or post-lunch nap.

“Naps can be good for sleep health, if done right,” says Madrid-based Polly Revaliente, co-founder of The Sleep Project. “Short early-afternoon naps (20-30 minutes) can improve alertness, memory and mood.” But timing is essential: “Naps that are too long or too late in the day can interfere with night-time sleep. Those prone to insomnia should avoid naps or keep them short and consistent.”

Does the entire nation nonetheless cease for a sleep? “The siesta is part of our cultural reputation, but it’s not part of most people’s working day any more,” Revaliente says. In summer time, staff end early because of the warmth, however for a lot of the yr Spanish working hours begin early and run late. “With late-night dinners and evening news broadcasts at 10pm or beyond, Spaniards tend to go to bed later than Britons, yet rise at similar times, which can lead to sleep debt,” Revaliente says.

Still, the concept of leisure is entrenched. “Rest is embraced, especially at weekends, on holidays and by the older generation. What Spain arguably preserves best is the idea that rest is not lazy, it’s part of life.”

‘Growing up in West Berlin in the 60s, the main warm meal was always at midday’

Germany: mild meals within the night

Traditional German fare of potatoes and meat may not sound like the best for the digestive system to course of, however Abendbrot (night bread) is meant to be lighter than the extra substantial meal served at lunchtime, aiding digestion and sleep.

“I grew up in West Berlin in the 60s. The main warm meal was always at midday,” says Ursula Heinzelmann, writer of Beyond Bratwurst: A History of Food in Germany. “Normally, dinner would be sliced bread with cheese, ham, sausage. In our family there was always something fresh: cucumber, tomatoes or radishes – whatever was in season.” The sort of bread was fairly specific, too. “Here in Berlin it would be rye sourdough or Graubrot, a mixture of wheat and rye. White bread was something very exceptional for Sundays.”

After Sunday lunch, Heinzelmann’s household would exit for a protracted stroll in a forest and train on the Trimm-dich-pfad (trim-yourself path), so referred to as after the Nineteen Seventies “Trim yourself” wholesome residing marketing campaign. “You’d follow from sign to sign and you had exercises to do to get in good shape. I haven’t seen one recently but I have been told those things are coming back.”

Heinzelmann confirms Abendbrot remains to be widespread, although it generally strikes to lunchtime. “Things are changing. In households where both parents work, you might move the warm meal to evening.” And there may be now as a lot of a deal with the recent components because the bread: “There is a lot of consciousness, especially among the younger generation, about what kind of ingredients are good and what aren’t,” Heinzelmann says.

Would you will have night bread at a pal’s home or a restaurant? “Not me! It is very much a home thing.”

‘It was once on the edge; now it’s mainstream’

France: sophrology

You’ve heard of yoga, meditation and mindfulness to assist ease stress; in France, they swear by la sophrologie (sophrology). Julia Bache, a British GP who has lived in Paris for 30 years, turned conscious of the phenomenon when she began working in French clinics. It entails “physical and mental exercises such as controlled breathing, muscle relaxation, gentle movements, visualisation, meditation and mindfulness to harmonise the body and mind”, she explains, and is used for the whole lot from stress and sleep to ache administration and tinnitus. Whereas sophrology was as soon as thought of “a bit on the edge, now it is more the accepted mainstream”, Bache says; it’s more and more taught in colleges and lined by medical health insurance.

Sophrologist Sophie McGrath grew up in Paris however now lives in London. She found the relief technique as an anxious teenager by way of her grandmother who went to group classes in a village corridor. “It changed my life,” she says. “It took a while before I practised on a daily basis and got really into it, and then I decided to study it, and voilà, here we are.”

In France, McGrath says, “it is quite normal to see a sophrologist … it is a lot more present than in the UK”. It was devised within the 60s by Colombian neuropsychiatrist Alfonso Caycedo, who labored in France, Spain and Switzerland. “It was simply never translated into English,” says McGrath, who works at BeSophro, a UK apply the place she carries out guided one-to-one classes with shoppers, getting ready them for beginning, massive job interviews or exams by way of “working on the somatic part of the nervous system” which controls voluntary actions. She treats loads of French expats however says the phrase is spreading. “It really can speak to everyone.”

‘We’ve simply sat down for a protracted meal, now it’s time to get out and transfer’

Italy: a postprandial stroll

The Italian ritual of la passeggiata – a postprandial stroll – was as soon as about seeing and being seen within the neighbourhood within the early night. It’s additionally an effective way to assist the digestion of a beneficiant portion of pasta.

“The idea is: we’ve just sat down for a long meal with friends or family, now it’s time to get out, move and get some air,” says Dr Federica Amati, who spent her early years in Rome however lives within the UK the place she is head nutritionist for Zoe, the personalised diet app, and diet lead at Imperial College London. It remains to be a social norm in Italy, particularly in the summertime, Amati says: “Stores close between 1pm and 4pm, then reopen, to accommodate this habit.”

Aside from being an opportunity to socialize, which boosts psychological well being, it has advantages for digestion, “because gravity is our friend when it comes to our guts trying to move food through our bodies”. Using the legs helps the lymphatic system to distribute vitamins, and there’s a metabolic profit, too. “Within half an hour of eating, we start to absorb sugars and fats in the small intestine, and these are both good sources of energy. If you go for a little passeggiata, you’re making the most of the energy in your muscles.”

Despite having not lived in Italy for 30 years, “it is something that has stuck with me”, says Amati, who loves getting out for a stroll after dinner, typically together with her canine, and at all times when in Rome.

‘It’s a blanket rule for nearly all children. We know it’s unhealthy to eat them daily’

Sweden: Saturday sweets

A customized ingrained in Swedish tradition is that of lördagsgodis – sweets solely on a Saturday – established as an idea by the state within the Fifties to discourage tooth decay amongst youngsters. “There are very few kids growing up in Sweden who are not familiar with it,” says Linnea Dunne, writer of Lagom: The Swedish Art of Balanced Living. “It is an institution that everyone lives by.”

Dunne lives in Dublin however grew up in Sala, an hour from Stockholm, and recollects the weekly ritual of going to decide on decide and blend, which continues to today. “When I go back, I see my brother’s kids still do it, and his oldest is 13. It’s a blanket rule for almost all kids – sweets are available on Saturdays, and that is it. You wouldn’t be having other sweet things, such as cakes and other treats, on weekdays either.”

Dunne thinks this “can come across as puritanical… a bit boring” nevertheless it matches inside the wider lagom (“just right”) tradition she has written about. “It encapsulates this way of life that is very much about moderation. We know that it is bad to eat sweets every day, so we just do it on Saturdays, and that is what everyone does.”

Does Dunne do it together with her youngsters? “When they were little. They are 11 and 13 now, and it has gone out the window. But if they want sweets, and it happens to be a Saturday, they’ll play the Swedish card.”