Secret of health
“What do you think is the most important thing in your life?”
“It’s exercise. How old do I look? I am 91. I work out every day to be healthy.”
When I meet older people exercising early in the morning in the park, I sometimes ask them, “What do you think is the most important thing in your life?” Most of them say it’s health.
I have two older brothers and three older sisters. When my mother passed away in 2019, my eldest brother said, “Our mother didn’t leave us much inheritance, but she gave us the two most precious things in our lives: good health and sincere faith.”
That’s true. In my family, all of us are Catholic. My mother set a good example of practicing faith in her daily life. God was her priority throughout life. Prayer, sharing, devotion, dedication, sacrifice, endurance and silence were the fruits of her faith.
When I observe my brothers and sisters, it is clear that they also inherited those spiritual gifts. All of them are faithful churchgoers, and they are very active and devoted in the life of the church.
At the same time, they are conscious of maintaining good health. For this purpose, their primary practice is daily walking. They enjoy taking a walk every day. Of course, as they grow older, they have to accept the natural process of aging. I can see that their joints and bones are getting weaker day by day. But still, they keep walking slowly.
My third sister, a cook at a kindergarten, still commutes to work by bicycle and enjoys practicing “ki-cheon-mun,” literally meaning “spirit-heaven-gate.” It is a traditional martial art that trains the body and the mind.
Her constant efforts to maintain her physical strength are admirable. Whenever I visit her home during vacation, I learn something new about her simple life, cheerful sharing and self-discipline.
I am the youngest in my family. I walk for about two hours every day. I also use various exercise equipment, either in the park or on the mountain, to build muscle. Much more than prayers and the apostolate, taking care of myself and maintaining my health is a basic way to exercise self-discipline and self-cultivation.
Toegye Yi Hwang (1502-71), a philosopher, writer and outstanding neo-Confucian scholar born in Andong in the middle of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), used to take a walk every day along the mountain paths, especially during sunset. Walking in the surrounding nature allowed him to cultivate his body and mind.
Yi Yuksa (1904-44), a Korean independence activist and a resistance poet born in Andong, also enjoyed walking in solitude. He liked to visit Gosanjeong, a pavilion with a panoramic view. Standing in front of the pavilion, we can appreciate the waterways, rocks, pine trees and forests that present beautiful scenery along the Nakdong River.
Their daily life stories tell us that taking care of ourselves is the foundation of a balanced, happy life. If we lose our health, we lose many opportunities that we can fulfill in our lovely lives.
“Mens sana in corpore sano,” or “a sound mind in a sound body,” is a saying coined by the Roman poet Juvenal in the first century. This aphorism highlights that physical health and mental well-being are deeply interconnected. Truly, a healthy body sustains a strong, positive, active, creative and capable mind. Korean traditional medicine also supports this holistic approach to health.
“A joyful heart is the health of the body, but a depressed spirit dries up the bones.” (Proverbs 17:22)
The author is a member of the Daughters of St. Paul (Figlie di San Paolo), living and giving the good news to the world by means of social communication. Learn more about the congregation at fsp.pauline.or.kr.