[Harumanbo Harucheonja] "Walking Every Day Eliminated My Menopause Symptoms... Walk Together for Longer"

Seohwa Sook, Head of Nuclear Medicine Team at Seoul Asan Hospital
Consistently Walks Around Olympic Park and Hospital Trails
Reduced Clothing Size and Improved Fitness Despite COVID-19 Pandemic
"This Year’s Goal: Walk 10,000 Steps a Day... Must Keep It Up"

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-ju] "Since I started walking every day, I have no menopausal symptoms. Walking with family and colleagues makes it more enjoyable and allows me to walk longer."

Seo Hwa-sook, head of the Nuclear Medicine Team at Seoul Asan Medical Center (52), participated in a walking campaign organized by the hospital last June as part of a health promotion program for employees. During the 12-week campaign, Seo’s average daily step count reached 21,220 steps. Even during the rainy season with thunder and lightning, she never missed a day and went out carrying an umbrella to walk. The reason she couldn’t stop walking despite the bad weather was none other than the charm of walking itself. Seo said, "After walking continuously for about a month, I became addicted to walking," adding, "I wanted to reach 20,000 steps a day, so I just ate and kept walking steadily."

The reason Seo became passionate about walking was COVID-19. She usually enjoyed indoor exercises like yoga and strength training, but when all fitness facilities closed due to the pandemic, she turned to walking outdoors. She mainly walked the trails around Olympic Park near her home, Seongnaecheon Stream, and Pungnap Toseong near the hospital. Walking briskly every day without rest has now become a habit. She said, "Normally, I take about 1,000 steps in 10 minutes, and about 1,200 steps if I walk fast, so I need to walk for about 1 hour and 20 minutes to reach 10,000 steps a day," adding, "I made a promise to myself, so even when it was hard or bothersome, I kept walking, and now I feel empty if I don’t walk during the day."

Consistent walking brought remarkable changes to Seo. First, her body became lighter. The clothes she wore shrank by one size. She experienced none of the menopausal symptoms commonly faced by women entering middle age. Now, she easily walks two or three bus stops without taking the bus. Walking also helps her sleep well at night and build stamina to endure long periods of activity. She praised, "I recently joined a hiking club for the first time and developed the endurance to keep up with the lead group without getting tired," adding, "When I travel, I used to get tired and run out of energy, but now I am very healthy."

Seo Hwa-sook, head of the Nuclear Medicine Team at Seoul Asan Medical Center, is walking along the embankment path of Seongnaecheon in Songpa-gu, Seoul, over the weekend.
[Photo by Seo Hwa-sook]

Feeling the benefits of steady walking, Seo actively encourages those around her to walk as well. Her walking partner is her mother, who turned 77 this year. Last summer, they walked the Toseong together, and now her mother has made walking every dawn a habit. Seo said, "My mother always walks 7,000 to 8,000 steps in the morning," adding, "She says she doesn’t get tired even after working all day and understands why she walks every day," smiling. At the hospital, her colleagues are her walking partners. They always walk around the hospital for 30 minutes after lunch and exercise together after dinner. Several employees who walked with Seo have lost weight and regained their health.

Section Chief Seohwa-sook's New Year's goal is to walk 10,000 steps a day. She plans to increase it to 15,000 steps when the weather gets warmer. She is already practicing walking 10,000 steps daily. Records of Section Chief Seo's 10,000-step achievements logged in the Samsung Health application.
[Photo by herself]

Seo prefers walking with others rather than alone. She creates group chat rooms with like-minded colleagues or acquaintances and meets daily with whoever is available to walk. Even if some find it bothersome, she keeps encouraging them to join, and they walk together. This prevents neglecting exercise over time and becomes a driving force to keep walking longer. Seo explained, "Walking alone for an hour is tiring, but when you walk with someone, time passes quickly," adding, "Even if the place is the same, walking while chatting about different topics makes it a completely different walking experience."

Seo set a goal this year to walk 10,000 steps a day. Walking more than 10,000 steps daily is not easy, but she has kept it up without missing a day so far. Since it is still winter and cold, she only walks 10,000 steps, but when spring comes and it gets warmer, she plans to walk more than 15,000 steps a day. The Olympic Park and hospital trails she enjoys walking transform into fantastic exercise courses in spring and summer. The embankment path along Seongnaecheon Stream right in front of the hospital boasts a breathtaking view when cherry blossoms are in full bloom, and the shaded trees create a charming atmosphere with the sound of raindrops in summer. In autumn, the cool breeze and colorful foliage make it an ideal walking course. Seo plans to actively participate in the health promotion programs implemented by the hospital for employee health. She emphasized, "Health is not achieved overnight," adding, "You need to keep it up for at least three months to feel changes in your body and form a habit."

Seohwa-sook, the manager, is walking along the embankment path of Seongnaecheon, with Seoul Asan Medical Center visible in the background. She named Olympic Park and the hospital trail as her favorite courses.
[Photo by herself]

Like Seo, about 1,200 employees of Seoul Asan Medical Center participated in last year’s walking campaign. Participation rates were high not only among employees in their 30s and 40s but also those in their 50s, and the program was a success both quantitatively and qualitatively, with an average of 18,000 steps per person per day. The fact that walking can be done easily by anyone without time or location constraints was key. In fact, some employees commuted on foot from places more than 5 km away, such as Geoyeo-dong and Wirye-dong in Songpa-gu, and others said, "Since the kids are grown up, I walked persistently in my spare time."

Kim Ji-hyun, assistant manager of the Labor-Management Cooperation Team at Seoul Asan Medical Center, who planned and ran the program, said, "We received feedback that it became a source of vitality in hospital life and that building basic physical strength motivated people to try other exercises. Some reported that their hyperlipidemia disappeared or that they lost more than 5 kg," adding, "We want to provide programs that help all employees become physically and mentally healthy in the future."