Ever since our entry into Helsinki, the Golden Boys have been carefully observing the differences of health and wellness between Finland and Sweden. The initial thought is that it seems less obvious the importance of staying active in Finland. There have been less and less bikers on the surface, as well as less gyms scattered about the city. Yet we have seen practices that may oppose that idea. Beginning with the swimming and sauna culture. Every morning we saw people swimming and working out on the beaches on weekdays. They seemed to be doing a wide variety of exercises from running to yoga to weights all in the same general area in public.
The sauna culture is also deeply ingrained here. With multiple studies of the benefits and rising trend spreading globally. These practices have made a global impact. Additionally, there were gyms present in 33% of the workplaces we visited in Helsinki. This was odd because in no other business visited this occurred. Across from the hotel there was also a supplement shop. This shop contained a multitude of products seen in the United States, as well as, some that we do not see commonly. We were pleasantly surprised by this. There was also a scale, and Evan weighed 238 pound with 2 pounds lost on this trip while Bradley weighed in at 201, 2 more pounds that before showing that neither of us lost or gained weight which is an interesting ending to the trip.
In conclusion of this trip, the golden boys have determined that health and wellness is a corner stone of their culture. It is an important indicator of a greater trend in Scandinavia that health and wellness drastically impact a company’s performance. Beyond the Scandinavian model, we can see it all of everyday life across all ages, genders, and sizes. The food and exercise that the Scandinavian people practice is drastically different from the average American.
