Do you really take care of yourself with a healthy lifestyle?
Do you put more emphasis on work life balance or do you work crazy hours?
What you may not realize is that your mindset and your overall lifestyle may vary depending on where in the US that you live.
We’re going to look at the significant differences between the East Coast and the West Coast within the US.
These are important cultural differences to understand, and they help you to be part of the conversations too.
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Understanding Different Mindsets Across The US
How are attitudes towards health different from East Coast to West Coast?
Is there a completely different mindset depending on which coast you live on?
There is a shift in people’s lifestyles and mindsets depending on where in the US you might live.
Since the US is so big, there are so many different lifestyles within the US.
Some areas of the country value work life balance and getting outside more.
Overall there is more of a focus on this on the West Coast for example.
There are different diets and lifestyles and ways of thinking about health and life in general.
This tend to vary significantly by geographical location, particularly on each coast within the US.
There’s an article called “8 Healthy West Coast Habits That East Coasters Should Adopt” by Anna Madaris Miller.
This is a rather condescending type of approach because it says that the West Coast is better and healthier, but it’s definitely something worth looking at.
The reality is that there are so many different ways of thinking and looking at this.
Your health and well being are always important, but the idea is that this is more of a focus on the West Coast.
On the East Coast, particularly in big cities like NYC, there is more of a focus on career and a certain hustle and business that naturally takes place.
On the West Coast, people tend to slow down and really take their time with things and may not work as many crazy hours–they may be more relaxed by nature.
These are generalizations of course, but they tend to represent true cultural differences by coast.
You have to understand these cultural differences because they are significant.
You really start to learn the language when you integrate into the culture, and that’s where the Connected Communicator course can really help.
With a topic such as this for example, understanding the significant cultural differences can help you to learn language.
Looking At These 8 Cultural Differences
Though the article may have a condescending tone, it brings about eight differences between the two coasts.
These are worth looking at so you can understand what the culture is on the West Coast and the East Coast.
- Start the day with a shot: This isn’t about liquor at all! This is talking about a health minded attitude where many on the West Coast take in a shot of some healthy herbs or ingredients. This could be apple cider vinegar or something like lemongrass. On the East Coast this might be a shot of coffee to get your day going. Whereas on the West Coast you will find healthy juice bars that focus on the trend of being healthy and taking in these natural shots.
- Find fresh: We talked about something like this at the very beginning when we talked about Farmers Markets. These are plentiful on the West Coast because they are everywhere. It’s harder to find them on the East Coast though they are there. The fruits and vegetables are more plentiful and focused in the diet on the West Coast. Much of the produce that we get is from places like California. So it only makes sense that they have greater access to these healthy fresh foods on the West Coast.
- Be creative with vegetables: This is about using the fresh produce that is available to you on the West Coast. They might make an entire meal out of vegetables. Health sells on the West Coast and that means that many restaurants feature fresh cuisine that includes a lot of vegetables. There are many healthier substitutions such as chickpea pasta or cauliflower rice.
- Take a hike: On the West Coast many people go out for a hike or focus on being outside more often. This is about getting outside is more accessible on the West Coast, so going for a hike may be easier. This is more common on the West Coast, whereas on the East Coast it is more of a concerted effort. You are often in the big city and it’s harder to find hiking trails for example.
- Move all day: This says that people on the West Coast are moving all day–this may not be true! On the East Coast though many people in the big cities don’t even own cars. You have to walk everywhere to get to your next location. You can get in a lot of steps just getting around a big city. There may be more cars on the West Coast to get to your daily destinations. So the idea that people on the West Coast move more may not be true, particularly if you live in a big city. You may be moving around more just to get from one point to another, and so this one may vary depending on your location.
- Wind down with kombucha: This means to relax and with a fermented tea, which happens to be more common on the West Coast. People may not necessarily do this because kombucha has caffeine in it, and so you might not relax and wind down with it at night. This is an expensive drink and not everyone necessarily likes the same things. It may be more common on the West Coast, but it’s not necessarily for everyone.
- Go to bed earlier: This is a good idea for everyone, however it may be harder to practice. If you think of TV shows like political debates for example, they come on much earlier on the West Coast. So to be able to watch something that comes on at 6pm on the West Coast, it might be hard to get to that in time from work. This idea though is that people sleep more and get the recommended 7 hours of sleep. It is more of a priority on the West Coast whereas on the East Coast it’s a “go, go, go mentality.” Your day may be a bit longer on the East Coast and you may eat later dinners, take the subway to get everywhere, and you may not even have a lot of food at home. So getting a good night of sleep may not be as common.
- Chill out: This may mean doing more yoga and finding ways to relax more. Something like yoga or meditation however has caught on throughout the US, even if it started on the West Coast. If you think of how to chill out more though, it may be all about the mindset. People may speak slower and may take their time with things. There is a more open feeling even in the landscape here. This environment on the West Coast may make it easier to chill out. Add to that the mindset that people are more laid back here, and it makes it much easier to relax in general.
These are all interesting comparisons between how people live and think on each coast.
There are some characteristics that are very accurate, and some that may be off.
You can start to get a sense of the culture and differences, and this can help you a lot to understand.
This is a great way to be part of the conversation and to make lasting connections too!
It’s All About Learning The Culture
Though many of these traits are generalizations, they are often true when it comes to looking at East Coast vs. West Coast.
This is ultimately about getting to know and understand the various cultures.
These ideas may be true for New Yorkers for example, but may apply to any big city particularly on the East Coast.
There is a certain sort of hustle that you see from many people on the East Coast.
It’s the culture of the big city like NYC on the East Coast, and so you will see this often.
It may not be as easy to get outside to hike on the East Coast for example.
There are however plenty of people who exercise and take care of themselves–their healthy lifestyle may just look different.
Those on the West Coast may be healthy, but some may still work longer hours and focus on career.
It may be a more relaxed culture and mindset, but they may have different stresses.
So it’s great for you to look at these characteristics and traits to understand various aspects of the culture within the US.
It’s a big country and therefore understanding the various cultures within the US is so important, and it can help you in conversation too.
If you have any questions, please leave them below in the comments section.
We’ll get back to you as soon as we can.
