Posts Tagged ‘health’
Korean bathhouses are now a social scene
Bathhouses have long been popular in many countries. The Finnish sauna, Turkish hamam and Japanese onsen are all deeply ingrained in their respective cultures. But in South Korea nowadays, the public bath (the jjimjilbang) has undergone a contemporary renovation and provides all manner of social interaction, according to this NY Times story.
Calling the jjimjilbang a bathhouse hardly begins [...]
Mediterranean diet vs. fast food
The much talked about Mediterranean diet appears to be in retreat - in the Mediterranean. Yes, strangely enough, the diet full of olive oil, fish and fresh vegetables that is considered one of the healthiest in the world is struggling to maintain a foothold in its home region. The culprit? Fast food. Check out this story [...]
Early morning exercise in Beijing
In honor of Beijing playing host to the Olympics for the past two weeks, here is another China-themed post. Many Chinese people make it a habit to get up early every morning in order to perform tai chi exercises, often in a public park. So John Branch went to one of Beijing’s most popular parks one [...]
Improve your health, take a vacation
Americans work more hours and take fewer vacation days than pretty much anyone else in the industrialized world. Now, though, comes evidence that vacations are more than a fun perk – they may actually help you stay healthy and live longer.
Here are the vacation stats:
A global study by Expedia.com found that about a third of [...]
Modern life means fewer siestas
In many of the world’s warmer climates, the mid-day siesta is a time-honored tradition. People have always taken time off to rest or nap in the mid-day heat and then tend to keep more active in the cooler hours of evening. But in many of these regions, modern life is causing the decline of the siesta, [...]
Are Europeans growing taller?
That is the interesting question posed recently by columnist Paul Krugman, who investigated the evidence that Europeans have been growing taller whereas Americans (who used to be the tallest people in the world) are not.
Traveling through Europe recently, I’ve been able to confirm through personal experience what statistical surveys tell us: the perceived stature of Americans [...]
The quest for different skin tone
It does seem a bit ironic, but the fact is that many Westerners long for darker skin (via sunbathing, tanning booths and tanning creams), while Asians tend to go the other way in a search for lighter skin (yes, often by using skin lightening creams). Now, apparently, a number of Western cosmetic and skin care companies [...]
Differing ideals of beauty
As one travels around the world, it becomes obvious that different cultures have varying ideals of beauty. A recent Associated Press article touches on this subject, focusing on the West African nation of Mauritania, where some families force feed their daughters because obesity is considered a sign of beauty and wealth.
Mey Mint struggles to carry her [...]
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Bob Riel is a writer and a traveler. Go here to read more about Bob, his work and the Travels in the Riel World blog.
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