Irish Culture regarding Fitness and Nutrition compared to other Countries.

Theresalwaysone

I've been out here in Oz now for about 10 months, came out for all the usual reasons but one thing I've noticed, especially in the cities is that people are much more fitness inclined than at home.

It seems the culture is predisposed to keeping fit and healthy and not piling on the extra pounds. Some examples of what I've noticed:

People going for runs/jogs on their lunch breaks. Not just the odd person either.

People bringing in lunch with them, salads and the likes, or if eating out at lunch, generally getting soups or low calorie lunches like salads.

Not as much reliance on carbs. A lot more veg used in cooking. A LOT more meat consumed too. (ozzie nationals not the backpackers Im travelling with).

A decent % of people I see out and about have quite a bit of muscle mass/leanness. People I see shopping after work in Supermarkets are quite often dressed in gym gear.

Public parks/reserves have often pull up bars, press up and dip stations and a running trail marked out by Km. (I've seen this in Albert prk but also in parks close to Monash and Melbourne Unis)

Now Im quite aware this is all anecdotal and circumstantial but I've noticed it enough to remark on it, it seems the ozzie culture is much more inclined this way than the Irish one.

Anyone have similar experiences or vastly different ones?

Cookie_Monster

Odd considering the levels of obesity in Aus in comparison to Irl

squod

Theresalwaysone wrote: »

Public parks/reserves have often pull up bars, press up and dip stations and a running trail marked out by Km. (I've seen this in Albert prk but also in parks close to Monash and Melbourne Unis)

Lots of parks over here are fitted with similar. There's places over that have quite lively running clubs, wheelers and tri-athletic meets.

Theresalwaysone

May be the case. Like I said, Im only discussing my experience, and most people Ive talked it out with seem to agree.

That graph shows overweight people, not obese. Its a pretty poor measurement of a countries overall health too.

I very much doubt that study is comprehensive and people with a lot of muscle mass can be 'obese'/overweight and not actually be anywhere near it in its traditional description.

Theresalwaysone

squod wrote: »

Lots of parks over here are fitted with similar. There's places over that have quite lively running clubs, wheelers and tri-athletic meets.

Yes, I agree I've seen a few of these at home. I could count the amount of times Ive seen someone use a pull up bar in my home town on one closed fist. I'd have been fairly active in running around the local park too.

Over here its different, I had 3 people using one in Albert park the other day with me.

Again, I realise there will be exceptions to the rule but I do think that overall, the ozzies are much more active and 'clued in' than irish people.

icescreamqueen

A lot of it has to do with the climate too. The Aussie lifestyle is a more outdoorsy one. I know myself, I'm a lot more motivated to get out and do exercise when I see a nice sunny day outside. I'm generally fitter and slimmer during the summer months. Love exercise but would rather be outside doing it, than stuck in a gym.

amacachi

Theresalwaysone wrote: »

May be the case. Like I said, Im only discussing my experience, and most people Ive talked it out with seem to agree.

That graph shows overweight people, not obese. Its a pretty poor measurement of a countries overall health too.

I very much doubt that study is comprehensive and people with a lot of muscle mass can be 'obese'/overweight and not actually be anywhere near it in its traditional description.

Averaged over a population I'd be amazed if the "It's because of muscle, not fat" made more than a couple of percent difference.
18% of adults in Australia are obese, which isn't something that can be explained away by so many million people being HYOOGE. I haven't come across similar figures for Ireland as yet.

I haven't been to Australia but when watching stuff like Rugby I haven't noticed a difference in the average physique of fans there compared to the UK for example. Much like swathes of the US there's a massive gulf between the extremes of health and fitness attitudes.

Theresalwaysone

I'd agree that the effect of more muscle mass is probably small, but Id say its still more significant than you make out. To what extent I wouldnt even being to guess.

It could be the extremes, this is something I've discussed with others too. Dont get me wrong, there are definitely overweight and severly overweight people here but national statistics like the graph posted arent ever really helpful at all.

You'd also have to take demographics into account. What % of Irish people are under 30 (an age where muscle mass decreases with each passing year and adipose tissue typically increases.) What % are over 50 where the level of adipose tissue would be quite high compared to other ages.

From recent demographics, Ireland has more people under 14 and less over 65, kids are generally less fat and older people generally more so. Which would skew things also. Since I cant find a proper breakdown of the ages for categories like 0-18 18-30 30-65 65+ I guess I cant really investigate that any further.

My point is, that graph is essentially useless.

amacachi

Obviously we need obesity stats for Ireland to compare properly but the proportion of the obese/overweight who are obese in Australia seems roughly in line with the other countries for which stats are easy to find.

Cookie_Monster

Theresalwaysone wrote: »

My point is, that graph is essentially useless.

Just as useless as random observation in a very small area

I could post a similar story about NZ, lots more outdoor activity and there's a definite perception that people are more active but at the same time there's an awful lot of fat people here too.

Maybe you just see more of every type cos everyone's outdoors more

Theresalwaysone

Yeah maybe as uselss but I didnt state my experience as fact. I actually was at pains to stress it was only anecdotal.

I also asked did anyone else have the same experiences or different.

You posted a completely uselss graph about overweight people in each country, which quite likely ignores a myriad of variables that could cause it to be that way, and you posted it in a pretty pointless snide way. You even manged to misread what the graph was representing, which was outlined pretty clearly. This leads me to believe you just googled it and have absolutely no idea in relation to this area.

Never mind though, if you've anything decent to actually add to the thread please do. Or at teh very least show me where the graph came from and the study that brought it about.

Mellor

squod wrote: »

Lots of parks over here are fitted with similar. There's places over that have quite lively running clubs, wheelers and tri-athletic meets.

That's true, but I think in general they are more common in Oz, climate helps obviously.

In general I'd agree with Theresa.
I've been living in Australia for a good while now and they are, in general a more active people.

I don't think stats for obesity are much use in this context.
For a start, there are lazy overweight people everywhere, including Oz. You can't simply use obesity levels to determine how active the rest of the population is. Also, Australia has a not insignificant amount of the population made up of nearby Pacific islanders who would tend to be predisposed to being heavier.

Lets say for arguments sake, that overweight levels, and obesity levels between the two are the same (they may or may not be). That in no way suggests that people in the normal range are equally active. I know lots of people who eat terrible food, never exercise and have no fitness, yet they are in the normal range. That's general the target of this duscussion, I don't like the label "normal" but can't think ofa better one.

I live near enough to some pretty good beaches, maybe that has an effect. But there are plenty of busy gyms in my area and they have been all winter (mine is basically a globogym). I would more women train with proper weights than in ireland, a small indictation of the general attitude.

Mellor

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

Just as useless as random observation in a very small area

I could post a similar story about NZ, lots more outdoor activity and there's a definite perception that people are more active but at the same time there's an awful lot of fat people here too.

Maybe you just see more of every type cos everyone's outdoors more

The genetics I mentioned would apply even more so to NZ.
Which proves that activity levels, while a factor, are not directly proportional to obesity levels.
the thread isn't about weigft levels, it was about activity levels.
If you think there are lots of activy people in NZ, compared to Ireland, then it agrees with the OP.

Also, that graph you posted is either wrong or dated.
According to Safefood, ooverweight levels are currently over 66% for Ireland.

busyliving

If you in and around Sydney you don't see many people overweight...

It was only when i got to Melbourne and Perth I saw the problems with obesity...

Where in Oz are you OP?

Theresalwaysone

Im in Melbourne. I've stated though, that I have seem obese people, and I have no doubt that there are many more than Ive seen and many more with excess fat. Thats not really the point though.

Mellor

I'm in Sydney, I see overweight people all the time.
There are plenty about. The OP wasn't suggesting that everone one eat healthy. There are plenty of people who work awkwards hours or jobs and live on meat pies, chiko rolls and fast food. People on the road, on on site without any other options.

But thats not important, the thread isn't about obesity, it was about attitudes to fitness.

Satanta

Hanley

I’ve read nothing of this thread other than the opening lines, so if this has been covered, I apologise.

The main reason they’re in better shape is because of the beach - it’s a national past time. Good weather = tops off. Tops off = wanting to be in good shape. Being in good shape = healthy attitude towards diet and exercise.

As opposed to us Irish who hide under hoodies 8 months outta the year, and crash diet before our annual summer holiday.

Charlie3dan

The weather is a contributing factor. Many peple will say "That's an excuse" but I don't think so. It's an excuse if you are sitting around doing absolutely f-all but in general it has a big effect.

I train 4/5 days a week and i would love to have more "active rest" on my off days. Kick-About/ Walking/ Swimming/ Pitch and Putt etc etc etc, but those options are not there if the weather is poor (I'm talking exclusively about doing these activities casually, not paying for a gym/pitch etc). And the weather is poor most of the time. On the odd occasions that the weather is good I think most people are far more active.

I also think the activities available in ireland is extremely limited. How many of us had a PE class where ya just got a soccer ball and had a kick about? How many people are travelling miles to train in a specific activity? How many people would love to do X,Y,Z if only there were somewhere that did it? If you aren't into the auld bogball or soccer in Ireland your choices can often be limited.

Bruncvik

I just moved to Dublin from Atlanta, GA, where I spent the last 16 years. We all know that Americans have a much higher percentage of overweight people than the Irish; we don't need to see graphs for it - it's enough to walk down the street. The South is even more obese... And yet, I've seen much more people run or walk (fitness walk, not going to work or shop) in Atlanta than in Dublin.

I've been here for too short a time to establish any theory on why this is, but from my regular morning runs, I already see one possible reason: at least in Dublin, the infrastructure is not favorable for runners. In the US, the roads are wider, with shoulders where people can run with very little risk of getting hit by a car. Intersections are much better marked, so even those unfamiliar with them easily know when to cross. And drivers are generally more patient with runners than here. As a runner, I feel much more exposed here than in such a car-friendly city as Atlanta.

David Jones

How many of us had a PE class where ya just got a soccer ball and had a kick about?

not again..:rolleyes:

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=52708552

cmyk

busyliving wrote: »

If you in and around Sydney you don't see many people overweight...

It was only when i got to Melbourne and Perth I saw the problems with obesity...

I also found the same as the OP in Sydney, however I travelled quite a bit and found a massive difference in the smaller cities and less developed areas. I'd imagine it's those areas that bring the overall obesity stats for Australia up.

Charlie3dan

David Jones wrote: »

not again..:rolleyes:

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=52708552

My bad, I forgot to check every post on the site for a previous mention of a PE class. :rolleyes:

David Jones

My bad, I forgot to check every post on the site for a previous mention of a PE class.

No just that maybe your experience isnt the norm and its easy to blame someone who sees you for 80 mins or less a week teaching a subject that isnt even recognised as an exam subject and is generally underfunded. We build apartments and housing estates in this country not sports facilities.

Sedentary parents produce sedentary kids. Not PE teachers. Parents have total control over what their offspring eat (at least through primary school)and also how much physical activity they have. I can tell you the number of obese and morbidly obese 11 year olds is on the up and up. By the time they reach secondary school its already too late.

I would agree with the weather being a huge factor in Irish physical activity but to be honest over indulgence in alcohol and poor diet and education are the main underlying factors. We will do anything to find money for a pint, the same cannot be said of money towards a better diet or physical activity.

If you aren't into the auld bogball or soccer in Ireland your choices can often be limited.

I assume you are referring the the national sports of the GAA and I think you are wrong, there are loads of opportunities to try a whole multitude of sports in Ireland. People not getting off their arses is the issue not the choice available. My only issue with the GAA is that we invented sports that no one else plays and arguably some of our best athletes play the sport which effects our ability to perform in more internationally played sports oh and the incredible amount of funding they get compared to athletics or boxing or pretty much any other sport.

Barry.Oglesby

Blame blame blame. Oh it's the culture, it's the weather, it's the government, I had no choice, the GAA made me do it.

If you take a walk down to your local community centre, park, or post office noticeboard you will find a myriad of physical activities, clubs CRYING out for players. Within a 2 mile radius of my house I have:
Soccer (4 clubs)
GAA (2 football, 1 hurling, 1 dual)
Rugby (relative newcomers)
Table tennis/badminton/handball in one venue
Running/athletics
Basketball
Boxing
Martial arts (about 5 kinds)

And all of these are available for less than the price of a pint per session and are crying out for membership.

Also, we don't live in a bad climate. It rains a bit but we cleverly came up with the jacket to combat this. We have a plethora of indoor sports and activities, most of which go unnoticed.

But nobody wants to take personal responsibility for their health. If you're serious about fitness, and you think the gym is a bit pricey or you don't want to play a sport, then you can walk, run, jog, cycle, do some push ups, buy some rollerblades, get a dog...

Yes some of our facilities are poor in comparison to other countries, but most activities just need space and a willingness to do it.

Barry.Oglesby

Wait, I'm going to preempt a question!

"But there's no facilities for X* sport?"

I was speaking to someone from a rugby club recently, it's a club that's been around for 30 odd years now, and they've had 4 or 5 homes over the years, none of which belonged to them, since they were kicked out of their sponsor's (who they're named after) place. They've kept going with the help of other clubs, a college and now thanks to the City Council they have their own pitch once again and are in a position to grow their club. It would have been easy for this club to throw in the towel, but they didn't thanks to the dedication of players, ex-players and people who just didn't want to see the club go.

People bitch and whine about facilities and amenities like they were on Joe Duffy (sure, sure) but if you and some like-minded people put your heads together and come up with a plan of action to birng your chosen sport to an area then you can do it. You might not get much money from anywhere and it might take a while, you may even have to pack bags in Tesco for a month or two, but you can do it.

*like weightlifting or rock-climbing or indoor surfing or bocce ball ....

The Guvnor

NB: Did not read the thread.

In a country with a nicer climate where more is done outdoors and there is a beach culture there will always be a higher percentage of body conscious people.

Having said that more of the population go gyms in the UK/NI than in Ireland.

Charlie3dan

David Jones wrote: »

No just that maybe your experience isnt the norm and its easy to blame someone who sees you for 80 mins or less a week teaching a subject that isnt even recognised as an exam subject and is generally underfunded. We build apartments and housing estates in this country not sports facilities.

Well I would think this is the norm (or certainly was) and any changes of late are only slght improvements. I'm not placing blame at the feet of the PE teacher but it's one contributing factor that I mentioned.

David Jones wrote: »

Sedentary parents produce sedentary kids. Not PE teachers. Parents have total control over what their offspring eat (at least through primary school)and also how much physical activity they have. I can tell you the number of obese and morbidly obese 11 year olds is on the up and up. By the time they reach secondary school its already too late.

Absolutely the parents have to play a role as well, but I wouldn’t see it as the only reason for attitudes towards fitness.

David Jones wrote: »

I assume you are referring the the national sports of the GAA and I think you are wrong, there are loads of opportunities to try a whole multitude of sports in Ireland. People not getting off their arses is the issue not the choice available. My only issue with the GAA is that we invented sports that no one else plays and arguably some of our best athletes play the sport which effects our ability to perform in more internationally played sports oh and the incredible amount of funding they get compared to athletics or boxing or pretty much any other sport.

Yes, the funding they get vs other sports is also a pet peeve of mine. But I also think there’s much less respect shown in general to sports outside of Soccer & Gaa & maybe Rugby at a push.

Charlie3dan

Barry.Oglesby wrote: »

Blame blame blame. Oh it's the culture, it's the weather, it's the government, I had no choice, the GAA made me do it. .

Keeping yourself fit is entirely your own responsibility, no argument there. If you want to find a way to keep fit in Ireland you can. But when it comes to having a culture of being physically active, the weather is definitely a factor.
Like I said I train a fair bit during the week, but the last time I just went walking/ swimming/ cycling/ playing Pitch&Putt etc just for the fun of it….well that was the summer on a nice day.

You shouldn’t use it as an excuse to do nothing, but it certainly impacts on the overall culture.

Thud

It's definitely starting to change in Ireland now, fitness is cool again (just like it was for the yuppies in the 80's) and people are starting to think about their health more.
There are also more options for women nowadays be it Rugby, GAA, tag rugby, bootcamps, ladies soccer, weightlifting (;)) etc.. either these sports weren't around 10-20years ago for women or there was a stigma attached to them that they were for men or tomboys.

Aside for womens sports running, cycling and triathlons are now very popular here

nice_guy80

Weather.

I'd be out everyday on the bike only for rain and wind
Same with running
and lake/beach swimming

squod

nice_guy80 wrote: »

Weather.

I'd be out everyday on the bike only for rain and wind
Same with running
and lake/beach swimming

I'd be out everyday on the bike only for f*cking loonatic drivers around here.

Theresalwaysone

cmyk wrote: »

I also found the same as the OP in Sydney, however I travelled quite a bit and found a massive difference in the smaller cities and less developed areas. I'd imagine it's those areas that bring the overall obesity stats for Australia up.

I actually meant to mention this. Rural Australia and smaller towns in my experience have a 'fatter' population. I cant even begin to speculate why this is but it seems to be the case. Maybe its to do with the only real source of entertainment being the local pub.

deadlybuzzman

I noticed years ago that more often than not at most of the indoor or 5 a side games I was the only or one of the few irish there, never passed any heed till a housemate from porto commented on the fact that he couldnt get irish people to do anything, that we generally just get up go to work, go home close the door and dont leave again untill the morning.
Maybe its a cultural thing or maybe just laziness but after that I did notice everwhere Ive played football Irish lads used to intermitently show up but werent dependable same in my gym, if it wasnt for the non irish Idve literally never have had a game or even a decent gym.

dartstothesea

I wouldn't try to point any blame-fingers at anything in particular, but the lowest, most common denominator Irish attitudes seem kind of limited to the idea of fitness beginning and ending with being able to run for a long distance.
Not that the average pub potato in Ireland wouldn't benefit from being able to run longer distances, but it's pretty disappointing how many supposed fitness enthusiasts don't look beyond this.

Mellor

cmyk wrote: »

I also found the same as the OP in Sydney, however I travelled quite a bit and found a massive difference in the smaller cities and less developed areas. I'd imagine it's those areas that bring the overall obesity stats for Australia up.

Yeah, I was going to mention that. My comments related to the cities.
Rural australia is hopelessly bleak. There is nothign to do, and i don't mean like Irish "awh, there's nothing to do in Dublin". I mean literally nothign to do for miles.