[One Thousand Characters a Day] Life Lessons Starting Again <2>

Editor's NoteFormer ShinHo Group Chairman Lee Soon-guk collapsed due to angina and was on the brink of death. After waking up, he finally decided to start exercising. He was seventy years old at the time. He exercised so vigorously that those around him advised him to take it easy, but he became curious about what "moderate exercise" really meant. From then on, he began to seriously study exercise methods for the elderly. He earned a master's and a doctoral degree in exercise physiology from graduate school and wrote books such as I Started Exercising at Seventy and The Youthful Exercise Methods of a Fit Grandfather to share the benefits of exercise he personally experienced. He also earned a medical doctorate with research on "The Relationship Between Physical Activity and Health-Related Quality of Life" at a medical science graduate school. Chairman Lee emphasizes, "People who exercise systematically are healthier, mentally clearer, more motivated in everything, and more confident than those who do not exercise. Naturally, they experience greater happiness and an improved quality of life." Word count: 931.

Since deciding to exercise, many things have changed.

The exercise I do is not the typical walking, calisthenics, or light equipment workouts considered suitable for older adults. It is aerobic exercise that makes me sweat and resistance training at the health club to build muscle. Through study, I learned that as you age, you need to increase muscle mass.

People often recommend exercising just enough to avoid strain, but moderate exercise like that rarely leads to noticeable improvement. When everyone thought it was too late, I started exercising seriously. People were worried I might harm my health. But this was exactly the second half of my life I needed to pursue.

There is no age too late to start something in life. In fact, the moment you think it is too late is the fastest time to start because tomorrow will be later than today.

Exercise is broadly divided into aerobic and anaerobic, or resistance, exercise. Aerobic exercise is a full-body workout that improves heart and lung function by supplying as much oxygen as possible to the body. Examples include walking, running, and cycling.

Resistance exercise involves repeatedly contracting and relaxing muscles against resistance and weight, using the body itself, bands, or equipment found in health clubs to develop muscle strength and endurance. The muscles require resistance and weight higher than their usual level.

While exercising, I could feel my body changing. My physical age became incomparably younger than before. First, I grew taller. People say height decreases slightly with age, but mine increased gradually. Bone density also improved. Resistance training strengthened muscles by continuously applying load to the bones during muscle contraction, resulting in increased bone density.

Muscle mass increased, and muscle strength improved. Body water content also rose, along with protein and mineral mass. Thanks to consistent aerobic exercise, my heart rate decreased, but my maximum oxygen uptake increased.

- Lee Soon-guk, Life Lessons Starting Again, Dongyang Books, 17,000 KRW