How the World Exercises: Japan, Scandinavia & USA vs Australia

In this episode of The EFM Health Club Podcast, we take a tour around the world to uncover how different countries exercise — and why their habits look nothing like ours in Australia.

We dive into Japan’s disciplined, low-noise fitness culture, including the amazing story of Radio Taisō, a nationwide calisthenics routine broadcast every morning to millions. We explore why Scandinavian countries like Sweden and Norway have some of the highest gym membership rates on the planet, and why the United States has become the global capital of boutique studios and ultra-specialised fitness tribes.

We also compare obesity rates across Japan, Scandinavia, the USA and Australia, highlighting the massive cultural divergences that shape how nations move — and why Japan’s obesity rate is a fraction of Australia’s. We look at how government-led exercise initiatives work overseas, and why similar programs struggle to take hold here.

If you’re interested in global trends, cultural differences, health policy, or just want a fresh perspective on how Australians stack up, this is an eye-opening and story-packed episode.

Topics include:
🌏 How Japan keeps obesity rates so low
⏰ Radio Taisō: the daily government-backed exercise ritual
🇳🇴 Why Scandinavians train more consistently than almost anyone
🇺🇸 The rise of American boutique fitness culture
🇦🇺 How Australia compares — and what we can learn
🏋️‍♂️ Why different cultures value exercise in totally different ways
🚫 Why government-mandated exercise works overseas but not here

Tune in for a fascinating global look at how we move, why we move, and what Australia could borrow from the rest of the world.