{"id":2922,"date":"2026-03-10T13:37:28","date_gmt":"2026-03-10T04:37:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.itaba.com\/?p=2922"},"modified":"2026-03-11T18:49:16","modified_gmt":"2026-03-11T09:49:16","slug":"20260308","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.itaba.com\/en\/blog\/20260308\/","title":{"rendered":"Fitness Check After 60: Hiking as a Personal Health Test"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Hiking<\/center>
\n\u2015 Reflections from Jokduri Peak in Bukhansan \u2015<\/strong><\/p>\n

As we get older, we become increasingly aware of how important it is to maintain our health.<\/p>\n

Yet in everyday life, there are surprisingly few opportunities to objectively gauge how well our physical fitness is being maintained.<\/p>\n

For me, hiking is more than just a hobby.
\nIt serves as a kind of “personal health test” to check the condition of my body.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Recently, while hiking Jokduri Peak in Bukhansan in Seoul, I was reminded of this once again.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Bukhansan: A Mountain You Can Reach from the City<\/h3>\n

Seoul is home to a famous mountain called Bukhansan.<\/p>\n

Because it is easily accessible by subway and bus from the city, it is known as a popular hiking destination for local residents.<\/p>\n

This time I climbed Jokduri Peak<\/strong>, one of the lower peaks in the Bukhansan area.<\/p>\n

You can walk from the subway station to the trailhead.
\nHowever, the entrance to the trail can be a bit difficult to find.<\/p>\n

First-time visitors might get slightly lost.<\/p>\n

In addition, the streets around the trailhead are quite steep.<\/p>\n

While walking up, I suddenly thought:<\/p>\n

“People who live around here must get great exercise every day.”<\/p>\n

By the time I reached the trailhead, it already felt like I had done a light workout.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Hiking as a Personal Health Test<\/h3>\n

Since it had been a while since my last hike, I quickly found myself short of breath after starting the climb.<\/p>\n

“I guess I’m a bit out of shape…”<\/p>\n

That thought crossed my mind as I continued walking.<\/p>\n

For me, however, hiking is not simply about loving mountains.<\/p>\n

Rather, it has a stronger meaning as a<\/p>\n

“self-test” to check my physical strength and overall health.<\/strong><\/p>\n

In daily life, there are few chances to objectively measure our physical condition.<\/p>\n

Shopping or taking a walk rarely pushes our bodies to their limits.<\/p>\n

But hiking is different.<\/p>\n

Once you start climbing, it’s not easy to simply stop halfway.
\nEven when it becomes difficult, you tend to keep pushing toward your destination.<\/p>\n

Naturally, a mindset kicks in:
\n“I’ll just try a little harder.”<\/p>\n

Hiking is also a full-body workout that combines aerobic exercise with muscular effort.<\/p>\n

You use your cardiovascular system while strengthening the muscles in your legs, making it easier to recognize your current level of fitness.<\/p>\n

That is why I believe hiking is a great indicator of your physical condition.<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Another Kind of Motivation on the Mountain<\/h3>\n

There is another thing that often leaves an impression when hiking.<\/p>\n

That is seeing people older than you climbing energetically.<\/p>\n

It is not uncommon to see hikers who appear to be in their 70s moving along the trail with light and steady steps.<\/p>\n

Seeing that naturally makes you think:<\/p>\n

“If I keep at it, I can stay strong too.”<\/p>\n

Unlike training at a gym, hiking provides this kind of motivation from other people.<\/strong><\/p>\n

That is also one of the joys of walking in the mountains.<\/p>\n

\"Hiking<\/center>A rock-climbing practice area on the way to the summit<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

Another Enjoyment: Photography<\/h3>\n

For me, hiking has another purpose as well.<\/p>\n

That is photography.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Mountains offer scenery that you simply cannot see in the city.<\/p>\n

The shapes of the rocks
\nThe beauty of the ridgelines
\nAnd the wide open sky<\/p>\n

The view that unfolds when you reach the summit always feels special.<\/p>\n

At the top of Jokduri Peak, where I climbed this time, there was a massive rock formation.<\/p>\n

It stood there almost as if it were guarding the mountain.<\/p>\n

Its presence drew my attention, and I couldn’t help pointing my camera toward it.<\/p>\n

\"Hiking<\/center><\/div>\n

Hiking offers many benefits:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • It provides great exercise<\/li>\n
  • You can check your physical condition<\/li>\n
  • There is a strong sense of achievement<\/li>\n
  • You can also enjoy photography<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    When you think about it, it is a remarkably well-rounded hobby.<\/p>\n

    <\/div>\n

    Thoughts After Turning 60<\/h3>\n

    As we age, everyone begins to feel a decline in physical strength.<\/p>\n

    However, if we stop moving our bodies,
    \nthat decline only accelerates.<\/p>\n

    What matters most, I believe, is<\/p>\n

    checking in on your physical condition from time to time.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    For me, hiking serves that purpose.<\/p>\n

    It does not have to be a particularly difficult mountain.<\/p>\n

    Even an easy hike is fine.<\/p>\n

    Just climb once in a while.<\/p>\n

    Even that is enough for your body to respond honestly.<\/p>\n

    During this hike as well, I clearly realized that I had not been exercising enough.<\/p>\n

    That is exactly why I intend to keep hiking regularly.<\/p>\n

    As a modest “personal health test”<\/strong> to help maintain my well-being.<\/p>\n

    <\/div>\n

    In Closing<\/h3>\n

    Once you reach your 50s and 60s, managing your health becomes increasingly important.<\/p>\n

    Hiking offers several advantages:<\/p>\n

      \n
    • You can objectively assess your physical fitness<\/li>\n
    • It provides a sense of accomplishment<\/li>\n
    • You gain motivation from people your age or older<\/li>\n
    • You can enjoy scenery and photography<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      There are many ways to stay fit,
      \nbut I believe it is important to have<\/p>\n

      “an opportunity to test your body.”<\/strong><\/p>\n

      For me, that opportunity is hiking.<\/p>\n

      <\/div>\n
      \"Hiking<\/center><\/div>\n
      \"Japanese<\/center><\/div>\n
      \"Hiking<\/center><\/div>\n
      \"View<\/center><\/div>\n
      <\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      \u2015 Reflections from Jokduri Peak in Bukhansan \u2015 As we get older, we become increasingly aware of how important […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2908,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_locale":"en_US","_original_post":"https:\/\/www.itaba.com\/?p=2905","footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2922","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","en-US"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.itaba.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2922","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.itaba.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.itaba.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.itaba.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.itaba.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2922"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.itaba.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2922\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2934,"href":"https:\/\/www.itaba.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2922\/revisions\/2934"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.itaba.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2908"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.itaba.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2922"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.itaba.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2922"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.itaba.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2922"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}