Last Updated on September 2, 2020

The winter weather with rain and lack of sunlight can leave many people feeling cold and depressed.

Exercise, nutritious food and plenty of sleep are all good ways of boosting your mood. But adding an atmosphere of peaceful, contented cosiness is also a great method of boost the festive spirit.

The Danes have turned this creation of cosiness into an art form and the word that describes this atmosphere of contentment is ‘hygge’.

Pronounced, hoo-ga’, hygge means not only physical comfort but also emotional contentment. Hygge is a state of mind that is always positive and makes the best of every situation.

Read on for some tips on how to embrace the Scandi lifestyle in your food choices, exercise routine, social life and general attitude this winter.

Hygge style comfort food

Although the first thing that might come to mind when thinking about comfort food is a bag filled with unhealthy snacks, think again. Hygge means caring for your body not stuffing it with cake and cookies.

One of the central facets of hygge food is that it should be simple and it should leave you feeling contented.

Some great foods to produce that feeling of cosiness include nuts, olive oil, dark chocolate, veggie soup, casseroles, and warming foods.

Other great Scandi foods are fish, berries, whole-grain foods, root veggies and locally sourced fruits.

Of course the essence of hygge is contentment, so if a weekly doughnut or cream bun makes you happy, go for it.

In fact, Scandi culture keeps Saturday as a treat day, when traditionally parents give their children lordagsgodis (‘Saturday Sweets’), so they keep the rest of the week for moderation and splurge on Saturdays.

This is a good way to keep a healthy diet generally and is ideal if you are trying to lose weight. Embracing ‘Sweet Saturdays’ means you can still allow yourself a weekly treat, so you never feel deprived.

Coffee and ‘fika’

Coffee is an important drink in Scandinavia. The Swedes drink the most coffee per person in the world, while the Fins regularly enjoy ‘fika’ – a break when they relax with a coffee with a cinnamon bun. Nice.

This might be the reason that in 2010 a study revealed business leaders in Sweden, Denmark and Finland to be the least stressed in the world. Instead of another pointless meeting, they stop for fika.

Scandinavia is also far down the list in the obesity scale with only 14% of Swedes classed as obese, compared with 27% of people in the UK and 33% of people in the USA.

Helping guests feel the hygge

One important part of creating hygge is to make sure you always offer food and drink to any guests that come round.

As soon as guests are through the door, the Danes will ask if they want anything to eat or drink. And there are often some delicious snacks and drinks waiting for the occasion.

Paying this level of close attention to your guests stomachs shows that you care about them, and offers a warm environment and a cosy social atmosphere. Spread that hygge.

A cosy approach to dining

Another part of the whole cosy experience is to take your time over eating. To embrace hygge, your main meals should be lingered over.

This means being ‘mindful’ while you eat, chatting with your dinner companions and enjoying their company.

In fact a central part of Scandi culture is enjoying not only the good things in life but also the people you share your life with. It’s about spreading joy, peace and happiness through family dinners – all quite Christmassy, really.

This also means you are not allowed to wolf down your food and scuttle off to the lounge to watch TV. Eat, talk, linger.

How to hygge up your home

Once you are relaxing, your need to enjoy the space. If you want to hygge up your home, it is important to pay attention to design and layout. The Scandinavians are famous for their minimalist interiors, so clear away the clutter and keep it simple.

The right choice of lighting can lift a room and make it appear much more relaxing and cosy. Choose soft lamps and shades rather than stark ceiling lights, strip lighting or open bulbs.

Chairs need to be comfortable to induce a feeling of Scandi relaxation – so get out the cushions. Even consider furry cushions – however wrong it feels. The pursuit of hygge is the perfect excuse to ramp up the texture.

A gently burning fire is another great way of boosting the cosiness factor, while the ultimate enhancement to a relaxing room comes from candlelight: classic hygge.

Hygge and exercise

Exercising the hygge way embraces nature. For the die-hard hyggey Danes, exercise is never a chore. It is always a pleasure.

The ideal hygge way of exercise is not in a gym, but outdoors. Indeed, the Scandi way is not just about cosy firesides and warm dinners.

Getting into the great outdoors is also a fantastic way of embracing emotional cosiness because it connects your spirit with the natural world.

So going for a walk, a run, a bike ride or playing a sport outside can all be hygge activities. If you want to bring the Scandi vibe to your exercise routine then keep it outside – and wrap up warm.

Another part of hygge in relation to exercise and sport is that this can be a group activity. This can be running, yoga, tennis, rugby, dancing – anything that has a social element.

For the ultimate hygge exercise experience, try joining a club so you can exercise with other contented bodies and minds.

 

Get happy with hygge

Hygge obviously works for the Scandinavians’ mental health. Denmark is rated at number 1 in the OECD World Happiness Report 2015, while the USA is pushed down to number 13 and the UK trails in at 23.

In the report, Switzerland came 2nd, Iceland 3rd, Norway 4th and Finland 5th and Canada 6^th for happiness.

We will leave it up to our readers to think about whether it is only a coincidence that many of the top ranking countries in the happiness report are countries where Strongman competition thrives!

What do you think about hygge?

How have you embraced hygge lifestyle?

How would you bring hygge into your working life?

Do you have any exercise or diet tips to help embrace the Scandi way?

If you are Scandinavian, can you tell us more about hygge lifestyle and how it relates to diet and exercise?