Let's get physical

By Park Moo-jong

"To be, or not to be: that is the question" is the world-renowned opening phrase spoken by Prince Hamlet in a scene from William Shakespeare's (1564-1616) play "Hamlet." This lonely Danish prince's soliloquy has given birth to many parodies, so far.

Of them, what appeals "seriously" to many people living in this modern society with enough food may be, "to eat or not to eat: that is the question." This is really a grave question for the obese.

Obesity, the result of eating too much, has emerged as not only a major health threat but a social problem in South Korea, though the country used to have one of the lowest obesity rates in the world over the past decades.

Yet, the latest report from the National Health Insurance Service warns that the Korean obesity epidemic continues as about 37 percent of the population were found to be obese or overweight last year, an increase of 4 percent over the past five years. In addition, almost one in two adults in their 30s and 40s exceeded a healthy weight.

The socioeconomic cost caused by obesity was 11.5 trillion won (approximately $10.3 billion) in 2016, a 69 percent rise over the previous three years, equivalent to 0.7 percent of gross domestic product (GDP).

So far, social perceptions on obesity have remained focused more on physical appearance rather than on health. In fact, South Koreans, especially, women, have a reputation for being slim worldwide.

But the report proves obesity has been on the rise to become a national health problem, not one of style.

Adding insult to injury is the rapid rise in childhood obesity, mainly caused by a growing preference for instant and fast foods, and an increase in the time spent playing computer games, surfing the internet and touching smartphones instead of getting together with friends on playgrounds.

A U.S. study shows that children who watch TV five or more hours a day are five times as likely to be overweight as those who sit before the tube less than two hours a day.

Many people must have experienced the inconvenience of becoming fat. Indeed, as weight goes up, life expectancy goes down. Obesity is inconvenient in every aspect of daily life, not to mention the higher expenses for living.

Being obese or overweight is the undisputed "reward" of gluttony.
It is no wonder at all that Pope Gregory the Great in the late 6th century put gluttony on the top of the list of the "Seven Sins": gluttony, lust, greed, anger, sadness, sloth and pride (also known as vanity) in that order.

Thus, the war against the flesh targets gluttony as its main enemy. Suggesting how to lose weight may be somewhat like teaching grandma to suck eggs. There will be few who do not know how to do it: diet and exercise.

Fortunately, everybody knows how to lose weight and to get slim. Unfortunately, however, it is not that easy for us to put this knowledge into action. And the fight is always lonely.

We know how difficult it is for us to work out every morning or evening after work. So, many people tend to choose fasting or diet only as a means of losing weight without working out.

Statistics worldwide show more than 90 percent of people who attempted to get in shape by dieting alone fail, only experiencing the yo-yo phenomenon.

In particular, the recent flood of "eating shows" on TV, YouTube and various Internet sites, dubbed "meokbang" in Korean, has appeared to become the main enemy of the people who should suppress their appetite to fight obesity.

For instance, scenes of the four hosts' devouring "delicious" food in "Delicious Fellows," one of the most popular eating shows on cable TV, is an irrepressible temptation for them. Three of the four are really obese men, weighing 122kg, 120kg and 138kg, respectively, while the one woman standing at 165cm refused to reveal her weight; but she is definitely fat, too.

I wonder whenever I see the show, until when the four, all comedians, will be able to maintain their health to enjoy their gluttony. They seem to be getting fatter each time.

Even the national networks of KBS, MBC and SBS are literally all out to air "gastroventures" (gastronomic adventure) programs every evening around dinner time, stimulating viewers' appetite for overeating.

An alleged plan by the government to crack down on such eating shows stirred up a controversy in July when the Ministry of Health and Welfare announced a plan to bring the growth of the obesity rate down to the level of 2016.

Of course, legally regulating such shows appears to be impossible under current broadcasting laws. But related government agencies, including the state-run KBS TV, have to help create an atmosphere of restraint on such in vogue programs by making the dangers of overeating known.

Two weeks from now, the New Year of 2019 will arrive. And many people, as they did in bygone years, are expected to make "New Year resolutions" for a better life. On top of the list of the usual suspects will certainly be quitting smoking, cutting down on drinking and losing weight. I used to be one of them and was successful in two but not the last one.

The simple theory is "no workout, no weight loss." I will repeat, though I may fail again. Let's get physical in the coming New Year.

Park Moo-jong (emjei29@gmail.com) is a standing adviser of The Korea Times. He served as the president-publisher of the nation's first English daily newspaper from 2004 to 2014 after working as a reporter since 1974.