Some people thrive on the same food and the same workout routine that leaves others tired, bloated or swollen. Others cannot sleep the moment stress hits. Professor Lee Jae-dong of Kyung Hee University Korean Medicine Hospital says the answer lies in each person's constitution and current physical state.
Lee, who currently serves as president of the Society of Korean Medicine, describes health in terms of three pillars: production, circulation and balance. Health can be maintained only when the body smoothly generates the energy it needs, delivers it throughout the body, and then restores equilibrium.
The Seoul Economic Daily TV program "Now, the Master," airing at 9:25 p.m. on the 12th, features Lee, a leading authority on health management in Korean medicine, in a discussion of how to read one's own physical state and adjust diet, exercise and sleep accordingly.
"My Checkup Is Normal, But I'm Always Tired" — Signals the Body Sends
Lee treats the cell as the basic unit of health. Organs and the body as a whole can stay healthy only when oxygen and nutrients reach the cells that make up the body and the process of converting them into energy runs smoothly, he explains.
He describes this to general audiences through the concept of "blood energy," a rendering of the Korean medicine notion of gi-hyeol, or vital energy and blood, in terms modern readers can grasp. He divides health broadly into production, circulation and balance. Production refers to creating the raw materials the body needs through the stomach and digestive tract, circulation to delivering them throughout the body, and balance to readjusting the body's condition through sleep and rest.
Lee also groups physical states into three broad types. Those with weak energy production show marked fatigue, indigestion and cold hands and feet. Those with poor circulation tend to feel heavy in the morning and to swell or gain weight easily. Those with lost balance may struggle to sleep, feel on edge, or experience heat rising to the face.
Weak Digestion Calls for Walks; Easy Swelling for Speed Walking
People in the weak-production group, who digest poorly and tire easily, are better off starting with low-impact activity such as walking, stretching, yoga or Pilates rather than strenuous exercise. Those in the poor-circulation group, who swell easily and carry high body fat, benefit from raising their activity level through aerobic exercise such as speed walking, swimming, jogging, hiking or cycling.
For people in the lost-balance group, who face heavy stress and sleep poorly, Lee recommends lower-body exercise — stair climbing above all.
"Stair climbing lets you adjust the intensity to your own fitness level while working the lower-body muscles," Lee said, adding that it can also help release stress-induced tension and clear the mind.
Diet likewise varies with physical state. People with a weak stomach who feel bloated and full after eating only a little are advised to eat slowly and choose foods that are easy on the system, rather than eating large amounts at once. Lee recommended soy milk and eggs as ways to take in nutrition without strain. For those who find even these hard to digest, he suggested soft, energy-dense foods such as glutinous rice cakes, chewed thoroughly and eaten in small portions.
Thin With Belly Fat: Build Muscle; Overall Obesity: Eat Less
Lee stresses that weight management also differs by body shape.
For people who are thin in the arms and legs but carry belly fat, simply eating less is not the answer, he explains. Such cases sometimes involve insufficient food intake or low muscle mass, he said, and call for eating enough within the limits of digestion while gradually increasing strength training. With stair climbing, too, the approach is to begin at around five floors and step up the intensity as fitness improves.
By contrast, for overall obesity, in which body fat has accumulated throughout the body, the focus is on cutting food intake and increasing aerobic exercise. Rather than slashing portions all at once, he advised trimming them gradually, and also offered the so-called "reverse eating" method — vegetables and protein first, carbohydrates later.
Sleep: "When" Matters More Than "How Long," and Morning Sunlight Counts
Sleep is another cornerstone of health management. Lee emphasizes a consistent rhythm of going to bed and waking up at the same times over simply sleeping long hours. In keeping with nature's rhythm, he said, sleep is best taken between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m., with deep sleep secured at the latest from 11 p.m. to 3 a.m. He recommends walking in the sunlight in the morning: morning light and regular activity start the day's biological rhythm, while reducing exposure to strong light from smartphones and other sources in the evening prepares the body for sleep.
The foundation of health management, Lee stressed, lies not in some grand secret but in recovering a natural daily rhythm.
"What matters is riding nature's rhythm — rising and moving when the sun comes up, settling down and sleeping when it goes down," he said. "Getting hungry when the time comes, moving when the body feels sluggish, and drifting off naturally in the evening: that is a healthy life."
