Health Tips from Finland
«Sydämesi tietää asioita, joita mielesi ei kykene selittämään.»
«Your heart knows things your mind can not explain.»
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Sisu - The Finnish art of inner strength
In Finnish, the word sisus literally means internal, which people can also translate as guts. In 1745, a Finnish bishop used the term ‘sisucunda’ to describe the region of the body where strong feelings originate.
After the winter war of 1939/40, the word sisu rose in popularity as the Finns used it to cement and display their tenacity and strength.
Over time, the word sisu came to represent a sense of drive and determination, the mantra that the things that we should do will be done. We may think of it as a strength or resilience that helps overcome any challenges. Furthermore, sisu is linked to other qualities such as honor and integrity, making it more of a philosophy or way of life than a more simplistic concept such as perseverance. Sisu is not a pure skill. It’s like a place you visit to get energy (deep inside yourserlf). You can use your sisu to get an extra push and you can use it as much as you would like to do.
Being more determined and resilient can help you to deal with negative thoughts and emotions and turn them into more adaptive ones. It gives you the desire to push through things like self-doubt or disappointment so that you can keep going and achieving. While grit and determination alone might not give you everything that you want, together they can help you take a more proactive approach to improving your mood. That is Finnish Sisu at its best.
Read more about sisu:
The personal use of sisu and Sisu - The Finnish art (BBC)
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Sauna - Dry heat for body and mind
A Finnish sauna is a type of sauna that harnesses the power of dry heat. Unlike steam rooms, also known as wet saunas, moisture and steam play no part in a Finnish sauna. In fact, the humidity is typically kept around 5-20% and the temperature is set around 80-100ºC.
The Finnish sauna was originally designed to help combat the region’s low winter temperatures. However, over time, it ended up becoming a relaxing, therapeutic ritual for both the body and the mind as well as a place to socialize, securing a special place in Finnish culture.
Users stay in the sauna for an average of 15 minutes. However, the time varies from person to person: some can only handle 5 to 10 minutes of the dry heat, others 25 (which should be the maximum time spent in the sauna). It’s a good idea to cool down after leaving the Finnish sauna. Users can either take a dip in ice-cold water or take a bath in the snow.
Beyond its cultural and social aspect, the Finnish sauna is a tool that has important benefits for physical and mental health.
Detoxification: One of the main benefits of a Finnish or dry sauna is that it eliminates toxins, something the body does naturally when it sweats. The high temperatures of the Finnish sauna trigger a deep sweat, which eliminates a large amount of toxins to help purify the body
Skin care: High temps and sweating do more than just detoxify: they also help remove dead skin cells. This also helps with cellular renewal and skin care.
Improved immune function: By accelerating the body’s detoxification processes, a dry sauna helps boost several of the body’s systems, including the immune system.
Improved breathing: The high temperatures inside a Finnish sauna help to reduce congestion. The dry air opens the airways for easier clearing of any congestion in the respiratory tract.
Muscle relaxation: The high temperatures inside the sauna combined with the cold-water baths afterwards help to relax muscles. This is true for anyone who uses a sauna, but it is particularly useful after a workout or training session.
Prevent fluid retention: Sweating does more than just eliminate toxins: it also helps the body get rid of excess liquid. This helps the body run more efficiently and can aid in weight loss.
Reduces stress: Last but not least, another benefit of Finnish saunas that shouldn’t be overlooked is that they help to significantly reduce stress. The combined effects of both the detoxification and muscle relaxation as well as the dry sauna ritual itself help users de-stress.
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Blueberry - Finnish Superfood packed with antioxidants
There are approximately 50 different berries growing in Finland, 37 of which are edible. Blueberry (bilberry!) is one of the most common and most loved berries. Every autumn Finns roam to forests to pick blueberries. Finnish everyman’s rights allow you to pick them for free in our country’s vast forests. Collecting blueberries have several benefits. Picking blueberries is a social event (often on Sundays) in fresh air in the woods with the family; almost like a therapeutic session where people rest and stress down.
Blueberries taste divine & delicious and are known for their health benefits. They are superfood because they contain high amounts of antioxidants, flavonoids, polyphenols, vitamins, minerals such as potassium, zinc, copper, and magnesium, and fibers.
Blueberries therefore have beneficial effects for our immune system and your metabolism. Researches have linked blueberries with the prevention of cardiovascular diseases, improved eyesight, and could even have a positive impact on memory; thus preventing age-related diseases such as dementia and Alzheimer’s. Keep eating blueberries and you will never forget where the best blueberry forests are!
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Hiking the forest - To reduce stress and inspire creativity
Finland is every adventurer’s dream. If you’re after a true connection to nature, you’ve picked the right place. Head to the Arctic North and tundra of Lapland. Or, go east, where Finland meets Russia for boreal forests and stunning lakes. Down south, there’s also the island-peppered Baltic sea. Whichever part of Finland you choose, it’s clear you’ll find a hike worth remembering. And so it goes. Most Finns go hiking to interact with its beuty. It is a social event merged with both physical, mental and therapeutic benefits. You will just feel a lot better after completing a hike during any of the four seasons.
Hiking is the most popular way to explore Finland’s natural places. It truly suits everyone. The diverse network of trails in Finland’s national parks and other protected areas allows one to go on a few-hour walk, take a day hike or do an overnight backpacking trip. Nature, wildlife, beautiful scenery and wilderness feel can all be found when hiking in Finland.
It is proven that nature reduces stress and blood pressure, in addition to improve attention, better mood, reduced risk of psychiatric disorders and even upticks in empathy and cooperation. Finland offers an excellent opportunity for a change in lifestyle, and its path leads to the forest.
In addfition to the health benefits, there are five proven ways in which researchers have found that spending time in nature will help inspire creativity.
Nature Can Help You Get Inspired
Nature Can Boost Your Memory
Nature Can Help You Overcome Creative Blocks
Nature Increases Brain Function
It Improves Your Mental Health
In a study from the mental health organization known as MIND, participants were either assigned to go for a walk in nature or for a walk in a shopping mall. The study ultimately found that 71% of participants had reduced symptoms of depression after their walk in nature. As for the group of participants who walked through the shopping center, 22% of these participants were more depressed after their walk.
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Kalakeito - Fish soup with health benefits
The Finnish people have a very special relationship with fish. With its long coastline and many lakes, Finland depends on fish as a reliable source of proteins. Therefore, Kalakeito or fish soup earns a special place in traditional Finnish recipes. Kalakeito can consist of a number of both freshwater and saltwater fish: salmon, trout, or pike. Salmon soup, or Lohikeitto, is a well-known variation but other types of soup are equally tasty. The secret is to cook the fish filets in a rich broth of butter, cooking cream, veggies, and spices.
A pot of steaming Kalakeito with rye bread is an effective remedy against Finland’s chilling weather. The Finns love their fish soup so much that in 2018, they set the second Tuesday of February as Finland’s annual National Fish Soup Day.
Fish is among the healthiest foods on the planet, and fish is filled with omega-3 fatty acids and vitamins such as D and B2 (riboflavin). Fish is rich in calcium and phosphorus and a great source of minerals, such as iron, zinc, iodine, magnesium, and potassium.
In addition to all the healthy nutrients, fish is packed with other health benefits, like reducing risk of heart attacks and strokes. It is also proven that fish is beneficial for brain and eye development, as well as it is linked to reduced mental decline in older adults. Studies have also found that people who eat fish regularly are much less likely to become depressed. If that is not enough benfits, eating fish can improve sleep, protect vision in old age, prevent asthma in chidren and improve performance in school or at work.
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Ruisleipä - Rye bread for digestive health
Ruisleipä, or rye bread, is the most important building block of Finnish cuisine: few dishes are complete without it. From simple- to fancy restaurants, the Finnish eat Ruisleipä for all kinds of meals. The reason is simple: It taste deliscious and has very high nutrient value.
Ruisleipä contains more fiber and nutrients — especially B vitamins — and has been linked to health benefits, such as weight loss, better blood sugar control, and improved heart and digestive health. What's more, it's easy to incorporate into your diet in place of regular white or wheat breads and can easily be made at home.
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Enjoy simple pleasure - To boost happiness
Finland has been named the world’s happiest country for the fifth year in a row, due to their liking of simple pleasures – like clean air, pure water and hiking in the forest – to the fullest. Finnish happiness is the calm and peaceful type; it’s an appreciation for how things work and the ability to pause and admire the little things in life. Finland is known for its well-functioning public services, ubiquitous saunas, widespread trust in authority and low levels of crime and inequality. All of this works together to create a functioning society and a culture of looking out for everyone, making it safe.
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Red clover - To treat respiratory issues
Traditional use of herbs, stems from the early stages of the human food chain, when people mostly ate leaves, berries, fruit, nuts, seeds and roots. About 30 different Finnish plant species are used more widely. Additionally, there are 80 plants used more rarely. Using wild greens in salads has provided, and still provides, good microbes for the intestines, a source of trace minerals and vitamins that support vital functions, and fibre, which supports bowel function.
Red clover is one of the essential plants - a herb that belongs to the legume famil - along with beans and peas. Red clover benefits are thought to arise from the many nutrients found in its flowers, including calcium, chromium, magnesium, niacin, phosphorus, potassium, thiamine, and vitamin C. It is also a source of isoflavones, plant chemicals similar to estrogen.
Red clover is typically used to treat respiratory issues such as asthma or bronchitis, skin disorders like eczema and psoriasis, inflammatory conditions like arthritis, and women's health problems including menstrual symptoms. Isoflavone extracts from red clover are also used to treat high cholesterol and osteoporosis.
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A good educational system - The joy of learning
The Finnish national educational system has been based on the principal of equality ever since it was begun in the 1800s. In Finland, education has always been seen as the key to the nation’s success in both human (including health) and economic terms.
Finns believe that a nation can only fulfill its potential if every citizen has the opportunity to fulfill his or her personal potential. That has meant that education should be available to everyone regardless of their gender or socioeconomic background. Today, the Finnish education system is world famous, and Finland consistently ranks at or near the top in international comparisons of students’ scholastic results.
Finnish pupils spend less time in classrooms than most of their counterparts around the world. In basic education, the average class size is 20 students, and a student-centred approach lies at the heart of learning.
But as seriously as Finns take education, they are also serious about the joy of learning. Play and creativity are an especially important part of early childhood education, while music, arts and physical education continue to be a vital part of the curriculum in primary and secondary schools. Schooldays are relatively short, and there is no standardised testing. Instead, Finnish schools focus on creating a motivating environment in the classroom, support for those who need it, and on a holistic perspective on children’s well-being.
People with better education tend to live longer and have healthier lifestyles. According to research, people with higher education have a one-third lower risk of heart disease. Degree holders are also less likely to smoke and more likely to get regular exercise. The education system - with joy of learning - is hence a vital tool for improving healthy life years.
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The Everyman’s Rights - Shared freedom in clean air
In Finland, anyone can pick berries, collect mushrooms or fish with a simple fishing rod. It is part of The Everyman’s Right, which state that everyone is free to enjoy nature responsibly. Thanks to the clean air in Finland, the cleanest in the world, the food that grows wild is delicious and fresh. Finding luxury produce in the wild – like porcini mushrooms or cloud berries – is a delightful moment, and makes for an even more heavenly dinner.
The health benefits of utilizing these rights are many. In a study of 20,000 people, found that people who spent two hours a week in green spaces were substantially more likely to report good health and psychological well-being than those who don’t.
Studies show that time in nature — as long as people feel safe — is an antidote for stress: It can lower blood pressure and stress hormone levels, reduce nervous system arousal, enhance immune system function, increase self-esteem, reduce anxiety, and improve mood.
In addition to the benefits of improved wellbeing, people benefit from physical activity and all the delicious treasures in the nature.
Nugget: Most people would think Europe's coffee capital would be Italy or France. But no, it's the Finns that consume more coffee per capita than any other country in not just Europe, but the world. The average Finn consumes a whopping 12 kilos annually. Drinking eight cups of coffee per day would not be considered unusual in Finland.
