“For my health, I started enjoying kendo, Hapkido, boxing, and golf from an early age. About 15 years ago, my sister took me to the table tennis court to try playing table tennis. It was easily accessible in terms of time and money, and above all, the charm of that small ball was enormous. “Since then, it has become the sport I enjoy the most.”
Kim Ik-soo (59), director of MD Ophthalmology Clinic, became addicted to table tennis at the recommendation of his older sister. After working at the hospital with his wife, Park So-young (58), he went to a table tennis court in the evening and received personal instruction, hitting the ball for 2 to 3 hours, and even did personal training until 2 or 3 a.m. There was a time when I played for an entire week. However, in the aftermath of the spread of the 2020 novel coronavirus infection (Corona 19), he underwent atrial fibrillation surgery while unable to exercise, and the lipoma that had plagued him for a long time recurred, causing his health to rapidly decline.
“In 2007, an intramuscular lipoma over 10 cm long developed in the upper left calf and kept recurring. After COVID-19, the symptoms of atrial fibrillation, which causes the heart to beat rapidly when stressed, worsened, so in May 2022, I underwent a procedure to partially support the left atrium wall by inserting a high-frequency tube into the heart. However, two months later, a fourth lipoma was discovered. It has already been removed three times, but this is the fourth time it has come back in 10 years. This time, it was determined to be malignant through biopsy. After removal, radiation treatment is required to prevent recurrence, but it is said that the aftereffects may affect the knee joint, so it is monitored regularly. “For one reason or another, I couldn’t exercise.”
![“Stamina collapsed due to illness… “I’m reviving it by playing table tennis with my wife.” [양종구의 100세 시대 건강법]](https://dimg.donga.com/wps/NEWS/IMAGE/2024/09/27/130119880.1.jpg "“Stamina collapsed due to illness… “I’m reviving it by playing table tennis with my wife.” [양종구의 100세 시대 건강법]")
Since lipoma surgery involves cutting out the muscles, it may be difficult to move after removal. As a result of the atrial fibrillation surgery, approximately 90% of the lower two of the four pulmonary veins were blocked, leading to dysfunction in the lower part of both lungs. Even though it was difficult to walk, I thought, ‘I really don’t know what will happen if I continue like this.’ Director Kim picked up a table tennis racket again from the beginning of last year. I went to the table tennis court with my wife, who was always with me. He said, “My wife and I worked together at the hospital and did kendo, hapkido, and golf together. Of course, we also play table tennis together,” he said.
Over a year later, I regained some of my physical strength. He said, “I’m still not as good at table tennis as I thought I was in my prime, but my physical strength is slowly improving.” Director Kim said that the heyday was around 2018, about 10 years after he started playing table tennis. At that time, he said, “I didn’t get tired even though I played table tennis for 6 to 7 hours a day until dawn to get better.”
The momentum given by a small table tennis ball with a diameter of 40 mm and a weight of 2.7 g was incredible. I was sweating profusely after just 10 minutes of forehand and backhand strokes as a warm-up. Director Kim said, “When I played table tennis again, I couldn’t keep up with the ball properly, but as I gradually built up my stamina, I now have the stamina to play for 2 to 3 hours.”
Director Kim said, “Another charm of table tennis is that you can play the game at any time, which stimulates your competitive spirit.”
“I’m not good at playing, but I want to compete with members who are a step above me. If I lose to a member who is worse than me, my pride gets hurt and I play harder. The exercise effect is great, and the game stimulates you to focus more on table tennis. After playing table tennis and sweating, it feels good to feel refreshed. It improves not only my physical strength but also my mental strength. “Table tennis has become the source of energy in my life.”
Director Kim ranks between division 5 and division 4 in table tennis. He is active in the 4th division at Hanshin Table Tennis Class in Banpo, Seocho-gu, Seoul. In 2016, when the water was at its peak, he participated in the Seoul District Office Competition and came in second place twice. Director Kim is exercising his muscles not only to stay healthy but also to play table tennis well. My son, a graduate student who is into fitness, is helping me exercise my muscles. Director Kim said, “My son, who has enjoyed working out since high school, said, ‘Building muscles can save hundreds of millions of won in hospital costs in the future,’ so I gave him direct guidance.” I try to do it at least twice a week.
Director Kim is also trying to cure the ‘occupational disease’ of habitually frowning through table tennis. He said, “While treating patients, I have to talk about even just 1% of side effects, but I get so serious each time that I get into the habit of frowning. So, patients who come for the first time give me a bad impression.”
“Even when playing table tennis, if you concentrate, you end up frowning. Because I have a competitive spirit, my opponents sometimes get embarrassed by my appearance. But table tennis is something you can either win or lose. So I’m trying to have fun and sweat. “It’s nice to be able to let go of stress by laughing and chatting with good people like children.”
Who would win if I had a fight with my wife?
“Well, does it matter who wins or loses? There is a difference in style. While I play challengingly, such as driving, my wife plays clearly and according to the rules. Since I play power plays such as drives, I often fail in short games such as cuts. “My wife is good at the short game.”
Director Kim said, “For the sake of your heart health, you shouldn’t get too excited. Table tennis could be harmful, but if you play without overexertion and have fun, your lung capacity has improved. If you are healthy, you can withstand illness. “Now table tennis is my lifelong friend,” he said with a laugh.
| ＜What are the exercise benefits of table tennis?＞ |
 Song Hong-seon, professor of physical education and exercise physiology at Andong National University, said, “Table tennis is a beneficial exercise that improves both physical and mental health. “All ages can participate and enjoy it regardless of athletic ability,” he said. Table tennis is a full body exercise. You must use not only the arm holding the table tennis racket, but also the core muscles of your legs and torso. In particular, it is excellent for strengthening lower body muscles because you have to quickly move back and forth and left and right to hit an incoming ball while maintaining the horseback riding posture, which is the basic posture of table tennis. Table tennis is a sport in which the ball is the smallest among ball games. Therefore, instantaneous judgment and quick response are required to hit balls flying in various directions. It also helps improve quickness. Table tennis also helps prevent dementia. Dr. Daniel Amen, a renowned American psychiatrist and brain expert, calls “table tennis the world’s best brain sport.” The reason is that table tennis is an aerobic exercise that uses both the upper and lower body, and is also an exercise that helps hand-eye coordination (activating the frontal lobe, which is responsible for cognitive functions) and reflexes. You can also utilize different areas of your brain simultaneously when tracking the ball, planning shots and strategies, and identifying spin. In developed countries such as Japan and the United States, table tennis is used to prevent and treat dementia. Since it is a full-body exercise, the energy consumption is also enormous. Playing table tennis for just 30 minutes can provide similar effects to other exercises such as running or cycling. Dr. Song Hong-seon said, “Table tennis is a medium-intensity exercise, and a person weighing 60 kg burns 100 calories in 20 minutes. Burn 300 calories in one hour. “It’s a good sport for preventing obesity,” he said. This means that it is effective in losing weight because it involves a lot of exercise in a short period of time. For this reason, table tennis helps prevent obesity and lowers the risk of chronic diseases such as high blood pressure and diabetes. Table tennis, an aerobic exercise, improves cardiopulmonary function and helps the heart properly deliver oxygen to all parts of the body. |
Reporter Yang Jong-gu [email protected]
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2024-09-28 03:22:43