Published August 2020; Available on Amazon
Wellness is about helping people to live well.
2020 was anticipated to be a joyous celebration of athletic prowess at the Tokyo Summer Olympics and Paralympic Games, and a discovery by the world of Japan’s Wellness-related activities (J-Wellness) that underpin the world’s longest national life expectancy.
Instead, in the face of the ongoing global pandemic and devastated economies, people are in survival mode, looking to Wellness to boost their immune systems as their first line of defence against the “Shingata Coronavirus”, the new-form coronavirus as the Japanese call it.
J-Wellness is both ancient traditions and pro-active modern practices. Zen meditation for Mental Wellness, the tea ceremony for the antioxidants-rich green tea (antioxidants protect the body against cellular damage and disease), and onsen (hot springs for quiet contemplation of nature with hydrotherapy benefits and seasonal, local cuisine fine dinners), are not part of the daily routine of the average Japanese. However, community awareness, drinking green tea and bathing are everyday practices. Traditional nutritionally balanced Japanese cuisine lives on in daily bento boxes for lunch eaten at schools and at office desks. The past intermingles with the present.
Government programs have been striving to reduce lifestyle diseases associated with sedentary and stressful living for decades. This has involved specific health and wellness targets. For example, to reduce obesity, the Metabo Law, 2008, set maximum waist measurements at 33.5 inches for men and 35.4 inches for women, with education support given to those who exceeded these levels. In addition, local governments and companies are potentially liable to fines. Currently, 26% of Japan’s population aged 15 or older are overweight, defined as having a BMI of 25 or more; it is 71% in the United States, 64% in the U.K.
Since we believe that Japan’s relatively low “Shingata Coronavirus” related death rate relative to other nations importantly reflects the good life-style behaviours of J-Wellness, our message has become more urgent. The global environment is now far grimmer, but the value of J-Wellness to the world has become even more important.