Hike to Mt. Huksong Revisited

At the Top (This used to be an old fortress. Now it is a good spot for badminton:)

Last weekend, I climbed Mt. Huksong, the mountain behind our university, for only the second time since I came to Korea. The first time was a few days after I arrived in Korea for the first time last year.

I remember huffing and puffing behind Professor Shim, a professor at UBE who specialized in Sports Psychology at University and who is in such good shape, I noticed last week when I walked (once again huffing and puffing) from the bus stop to the University with him, that he seems to float instead of walking.

I realized two things from my hike this time:

1. The importance of a strong physical condition. Lately, I've been reading John Ratey's book, "Spark: The revolutionary new science of exercise and the brain". It talks about the importance of physical exercise and movement for the health of our bodies and brains.

Brain Education emphasizes physical exercise as the basis for being able to manage your emotions, your thinking, and realize your potential every day. Right, I knew that, but exerting myself made me realize again how important physical exercise is. I've had a lot of computer work to do lately and haven't been moving as much as I should.

In his book, Dr. Ratey also talks about the importance of using individual heartrates when determining the amount of exertion one should use when exercising. So, rather than having everyone run at the same pace, it is better to have people exercise according to their own heartrate. I was thinking about this as I was huffing and puffing and felt better because I was always one of those people whose heart was racing so fast I thought it would pop out of my chest, even if I was at the back of the pack.

I've also been reading lately about the effectiveness of short bursts of exercise. So, I also didn't feel bad about huffing and puffing and then stopping to take a break and then huffing and puffing again, feeling my heart rate and oxygen intake increase.

2. Obstacles and challenges happen for a reason. Without them, there would be no growth, no change. Without the difficult climb, there would be no reward at the end--the view, the rest, the feeling of having overcome difficulties in order to accomplish something. It's a great feeling and, somehow, natural. Just like nature, we are constantly changing, growing, developing. Knowing it is all part of the process, and that there is a light at the end of the tunnel (or at the top of the mountain), makes it easier to get through the difficult and challenging times.

So, I'll be going back up that mountain soon!