I was not born into this world with an intuitive understanding of how to take care of my body and mind. I know some people are– I found myself wondering for years, how do they just live and everything falls into place?– but I was not one of them. I had to learn.

For many years I overate, underate, stressed about food, did every kind of exercise and diet that was supposedly life-changing, stressed about my body, and couldn’t find peace with it. For a time, I believed that stressing about my health would be something I had to deal with forever, that I couldn’t escape it.

But I’m glad I didn’t stop searching for answers. Through courage, love, understanding, and luck, I find myself today in a very different world– my health no longer feels like treading water hoping to stay above water, but a life where I can simply lean back and float.

6 powerful lessons from Japan that helped me heal my health

Find the one or two contaminating habits to quit

When it comes to personal health, and especially when we find ourselves in a desperate situation, we are often told that we must do a complete overhaul of our lives to become healthier. But I believe that 90% of our health struggles actually stem from one or two (what I like to call) contaminating habits– habits which lead to other bad habits.

This is why you find articles of people giving up beer, soda, cereal, or even social media, and they profess that it changed their life– and it does, because that one habit would set off a whole chain of reactions.

In Japan I saw that the way I lived (ie. unhealthy person at the time) and the way the average Japanese person lived (ie. healthy person) was 90% the same– minor changes can make major impacts.

Go on walks

In the United States, I’m often bombarded with images and ads of fitness culture. Athleisure is the craze, and it seems that the majority of people are members of gyms like Anytime Fitness, 24 Hour Fitness, or LA Fitness.

But in contrast to that, for a country that is a leader in longevity and has very low rates of obesity — the least among high-income developed nations at 4.3% — there is not much of a workout culture in Japan. Not many people have a membership to a gym, and people who use their lunch break for a workout are often seen as exercise zealots.

But what do people do? They walk.

Japanese adults walk an average of 6500 steps a day, with male adults in their 20s to 50s walking nearly 8000 steps a day on average, and women in their 20s to 50s about 7000 steps. Ogimi, Japan– a well-known Blue Zone– has a strong walking culture. Nagano, a rural prefecture in Japan, was able to reverse their high stroke rate by incorporating over 100 walking routes, and now their citizens enjoy the highest rates of longevity in the country.

I’m not against gym culture and love a good workout, but taken too far, it can make us believe that reaching and maintaining a healthy weight is only available to the dedicated ones who consistently lift weights and are making enough time for daily runs.

Don’t discount a good walk.

Forget progress, focus on the immediate payoff

When we talk about exercise, we often focus on the long-term outcome of it– getting toned, building muscle, losing weight, etc. But there is an immediate payoff: It makes us feel good.

One of my favorite events of the Japanese school year was Sports Day or undoukai (運動会). It’s a day where the entire school is split into two teams, red vs. white, and everyone competes against each other in a variety of games. Some are serious, like track and field, but others are there for simple fun like potato-sack racing.

Sports Day is a long-standing tradition part of the Japanese public school system. Fitness is simply celebrated for what it is, a playful way to exercise and be part of a community. No one’s talking about calories burned or building muscle, but celebrating movement for what it is.

Embrace convenience

I love watching videos of Japanese bento box-making. It’s also where I have learned my most valuable recipes and cooking tips (like this one on 1-minute poached eggs).

It’s common to think that Japanese bento boxes are these beautiful, intricate, well-balanced meals for children and spouses, made by the “can-do-everything” perfect parent.

But if you were to meet one of these individuals and watch them prepare this meal, you might be surprised to find that their approach to making a packed lunch is not as elegant as you might’ve expected. It’s healthy, relatively pretty, and well-balanced, but the focus isn’t on how it was prepared or the artisanal quality of the ingredients.

Fine dining is about perfecting food. Bento box culture is about perfecting food in the microwave.

Go outside

Shinrinyoku (森林浴), or forest bathing, is the wellness practice of… well, just being outside. In Japan it can be prescribed by doctors, like you might be prescribed an antidepressant, to help patients cope with high levels of stress, anxiety, or grief.

Spending time in nature has proven health benefits, such as strengthening your immune system, lower levels of mortality and illness, decreased anxiety, and increased self confidence.

So when looking after your health, remember to eat well and get exercise, but don’t forget to spend time outside. While we may not all have backyard access to a forest or ocean, even a walk in the park, a weekend hike, a picnic, or an open window and simply letting yourself feel the sun for a bit can do wonders.

Or as I like to think: “If I’m going to lie down, I might as well lie down outside.”

Choose moderation over perfection

I talk about this often, so I’ll keep this one short: Harahachi-bunme as the key to a healthy diet. The psychology of portion sizes. Variety through ichiju-sansai.

There is no perfect way to eat, or maybe the perfect way to eat is one that embraces the imperfection. We’re human after all– balance is better.

Wherever you are in your health goals– maybe you just started, maybe you’ve been on the journey for years now– know that I’m rooting for you (and you should root for yourself too)!​

Warm regards,

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