It’s interesting to see how often the healthy living and overall well being differs regionally based on a certain demographic’s cultural conditioning. There are a couple ways of looking at it. At a large scale, a country or government may emphasize values that can either foster or inhibit healthy living. Another way to think of it is having a series of sub-cultures that span between regions. For instance, I’ve been exposed to the daily living habits within various regions such as the USA, Germany, Mexico and Hong Kong. Throughout those times in my life, I’ve also been a part of various sub-cultures: childhood, higher education, office life and times of leisure. As activities and roles change in life, so does the approach to mental and physical fitness.

I came across an interesting lecture by Dan Buettner that points out the general tendencies and lifestyle choices of people within specific regions with longer lifespans. Out of the 9 diet and lifestyle habits he reveals, I’ll point out 3 here:

1. Always moving and being active, not scheduling in physical activity but rather it being at the heart of your day
2. Plant based diet
3. Peers and community around you support healthy living

The reason I point out these 3 is because I find that some can be achieved by modifying daily habits, such as nutritional intake (plant based diets). Others can be almost impossible to achieve within certain sub-cultures. The largest that stands out to me are sedentary lifestyles of office environments. There are a few companies that operate in ways to promote movement and mix physical action into employee tasks. However, for the most part, office culture currently and will for some time be reacting to the advent of the personal workstation and information technology.

Video: Dan Buettner – How to live to be 100+

To switch gears towards food, there are some that I’ve personally cut-out (soda and french fries for some time) which have had positive effects given that I’ve spent most of my time within the USA. The fact that many restaurants in the USA, typically fast food, promote 42oz at a time and/or free refills, will give someone an instant 410 calories in addition to the meal they area eating. Keep in mind the average intake is 2,000/day for women – 2,500/day for men. While in other regions such as Germany, this is not so much of a nutritional risk.

There are many foods that are nutrient rich that I do like, however when in different locations and experiencing different daily activities I personally don’t take the time to find them (kale, nuts, blueberries, etc.) I tend to eat these foods when I have time for leisure however bypass them during the frantic conditions within a day at the office.

In summary, activities and strategies for health and well-being should be thought of within the regional context so supporting aspects can be exploited and others avoided. The same goes with sub-cultures and how they relate to the region. The combination of the two could compound and create either a positive or negative context for healthy living.