AIBU to wonder what life in Germany is like?

[prepared101]

lighthearted and somewhat stereotypical

I'm on holiday at in popular European summer holiday destination. The resort is made up of mostly German and English tourists.

The Germans are almost universally in excellent shape- not thin but lean and 'strong' looking. Their hair is in good condition- mostly natural looking. Their skin is great and their tans are superb.

So. as I sit on my sun lounger with dodgy tan (if you can call it that) lines, a bit of extra podge on my belly and hair that breaks at the sight of chlorine I ask... how do I live like a German?!

They are a lot more "outdoorsy" than we are. Although they like their cars, they have fairly decent cycling infrastructure, so can cycle much more. Their kids walk and cycle to school - they find our helicopter parenting odd. They also have better public transport so walk to stations, bus stops etc, which all helps.

There is less of a gap between rich and poor, though it still exists.

You do get fat Germans, but they definitely get more exercise than we do!

Can't explain the hair though :)

immediately buys a new bike and bus pass

I think the hair could be down to the popularity of the Plantur shampoos - Plantur 39 for menopausal and perimenopausal women, and Plantur 21 for younger women. Just going by the no of bottles on the shelves in Muller and DM. I've not tried it myself!
The cycling network is great - clear signposting and well maintained, and kept separate to roads and footpaths/walking trails as much as possible.

Germany is like any other country in that people and places obviously differ greatly. But if I really had to generalise from my experience…

More active in a low key way - cycling is the norm to get from place to place. Walking for pleasure is the norm - in the UK people seem to often feel they need a dog for that. Germans don’t. Loads of outdoor pools for swimming in the summer and lakes. You don’t need to live near the sea to go to the beach, their are loads of lakes with beaches and water sports.

I find that German comfort food is generally healthier. It sounds cliché but they do love their sauerkraut, they get obsessed with their white asparagus when it’s in season. And strawberries, you have all these strawberry huts just on the road side. Kale, too. Healthy breads like sourdough. We have big greasy weekend fry ups here and in Germany on a weekend morning people walk to their bakery for fresh bread rolls of all kinds. They have ‘fast food’ places like ‘Nordsee’ which offer all kinds of seafood and fish sandwiches - I’m not saying it’s super healthy but it’s a far cry from a greasy fish and chips. Even the Mc Donald’s here offers a really nice range of salad tubs 😂

Germans are generally not as ‘glam’ - I think there is more emphasis on looking good in a natural way so skin and hair care is more important than clothes and make-up.

Maybe their hair is used to chlorine as the public swimming pools are affordable and nice and clean so they go much more often! They often have sauna too! I certainly swam much more when I lived in Germany!

my MIL is german and she thinks nothing of walking 30 minutes to the supermarket with her shopping trolley.

I’m in Germany on holiday and DH is German. The majority of them do look very healthy. Few things I have observed
Very outdoorsy
Lots of swimming
many more electric cars
excellent public transport but also lots of walking
lots of Doctors
mild hypochondria

DD is currently in Germany. She reckons they work and play hard. Where she is it's frowned upon to contact an employee out of work, so once you leave you can totally relax. She got herself a bike within a month of being there as everyone had bikes and she'd have missed out, and finds herself cycling back from town with a group of friends, even after a night out.

I lived in Germany for a long long time. Found the areas I lived in very soulless, and very boring. I wouldn't voluntarily go back.

Pretty much all this. There are lots of bike stands outside pretty much every public building and a lot of private businesses. Trains have (relatively) large amounts of dedicated bike space. I also think there's more use of public parks/woods/green spaces (which are walked or cycled to) because it's much more normal to live in flats so people can't just go into gardens and need to get out. Much more outdoor swimming, too - lakes (either wild or with specially created swimming areas) and outdoor pools. Our very small and not very wealthy town has an indoor and and outdoor pool.

Healthcare is better. Mandatory health and social care insurance is 18%ish of your gross income, but if you are an employee, your employer covers half of that (and the rest comes straight out of your pay), and it's generally much easier to access care. If you've had severe stress or an operation or a serious illness you can apply for a three-week 'cure' in a residential clinic in a seaside/mountain/lakeside area - your contribution is 10 euro/day, which can be covered for you if you can't afford it.

I used to live in Germany. Believe me, there are plenty of overweight and unhealthy Germans too! I think their overweight/obesity rate is over 50%.

That said, especially in the major cities, people do seem ridiculously fit and healthy. As above, much more outdoorsy and sporty, and walking/cycling more common. Most shops are closed Sundays and it's very common to see families going for a walk around town. You don't have the same level of fast food/sandwich shops on every corner, lots of people are vegetarian.

Also a much better health care system, more preventive care, better access to physio and yoga etc.

Yes to the asparagus obsession Not keen on the stuff myself...

I once stayed in a hotel that was 95% Germans. A lot of them were hitting the cava at breakfast !

I'm laying next to a woman who looks to be in her forties but has the body of a 25 year old and she's been sinking vodkas since 10.30am and now she's munching on a burger and chips

I live in Germany.
People have tans because (at least where I am) there is an actual summer - many are tan before they get there. Plus people often holiday for 3 weeks, not 2.

It´s less of a done-up look as a general rule, people spend a lot of money to look like they´ve had nothing done at all (incl. botox, fillers, hair dye...).

Being active isn´t seen as being odd, it can be just how to get from A to B.
People walk or cycle to the supermarket or market in cities, there are fewer big out of town stores although delivery services are picking up.
There are very few ready meals, especially few of the M&S type from the fridge.
And getting really messily drunk is socially frowned upon.

Great health care and you´re encouraged to get your check-ups. You go directly to a gynaecologist for smears etc and they have their own ultrasound machines so you get that done on site at the same time.
I had breast cancer last year and did not have a 2 week wait for a first scan, I´d already been biopsied and had a surgery date within that time frame.

While it is far from perfect, I´m happy to live where I do.

Extensive, relaxed German breakfasts (brunch type) do often involve a glass of sparkling wine of some type (as well as rolls, cheese, ham/sausage, eggs of some variety, and fruit). That's a 'this is what you have with this type of breakfast' (when you are in relax mode, so holidays/weekends), though.

Overall, I would think Germans don't necessarily drink less than the British, but the culture of drinking to get drunk is more limited.

I've lived in Germany for the last 11 years. They spend a lot of time outside, rarely eat processed food - most families cook fresh every night.
The healthcare system is also superb so Germans are also well taken care of in that sense.

Germany has changed my health a lot since living here, it kinda rubs off on you. I'm from the UK and grew up on freezer food, fizzy juice and didn't like walking (before anyone jumps down my throat, I know not all British families are like this...but mine was unfortunately and quite a few of my friends too).
I only drink coffee and water now, we cook fresh roughly 6 times a week, lots of fruit and veg in my diet whereas I wouldnt touch it before. and we go hiking now on the mountains while I love (I'm in Bavaria).

Maybe it’s the demographic of what part of the German population likes camping where you are. I’m often struck by how much more posh the English campers seem on camp sites in Scotland in the summer holidays compared to the rest of us on the site.

It is also common to have a small evening meal such as bread with cold cuts, salad etc (Abendbrot = evening bread) and have the main meal of the day at lunch (including at a work cantine).
Then not to snack in the evening. Mealtimes are more defined.



I work with a lot of people in Germany, and have many friends and some family there.

The day to day activity levels are very different. Hiking is a lot more common form of leisure than here (in my experience). It's much safer to cycle too.

I also find the food to be less rushed and processed, but that may just be people I stay with.

Obesity rates are higher in the UK compared to Germany but smoking rates are way higher in Germany compared to the the UK.

So funny. So true. Including the mild hypochondria. DH also german.

There's a much greater acceptance of public nudity in Germany. Generally naturism (FKK they call it) promotes a healthier lifestyle, people who get out in the open more are healthier than those who don't.

Camping's very classless here.

True about the smoking (mainly due, IMO, to lax tobacco control policies), but that's changing. Rates have fallen very sharply among younger people (teens and 20s). It's also much more prevalent in the former east.

Probably easier to think what Brits are doing wrong than what others are doing right.

How many in the UK hop in a car to save a 20 minute walk? Loads I bet.
I've seen people drive to the local shop at the end of the street.
Every town has 100s of takeaway places and there's a myriad of food Delivery apps where you can buy the most delicious awfulness in the world and have it down your neck in 30 minutes or less, quicker than cooking.
I think people here work longer hours in general too so eat quick food they don't have to cook.
There's a lot of people that consider piercing a film lid to be 'Cooking' as well.

I've a limited experience.with Germans and Germany, the 3 or 4 that I've known well have always been very active, up an hour earlier than everyone, exercising and showering, walking or cycling to work, getting up from desks for a walk to a colleague instead of calling them, leaving the office at lunch for a 20 minute walk to a healthy lunch shop and a 20 minute walk back. In contrast, others in the office punched in at 9, didn't leave their desk till home time, had grease on bread delivered from 'Rons Breakfast Baguette Bar' etc.