Reviewed by최연승대표원장
Will running hard on a treadmill help me lose weight? I'm curious about effective exercise methods.
Rather than simply running for long periods, it's important to first assess your body's condition. Pushing yourself when your vital energy is depleted can actually be harmful. In Traditional Korean Medicine, we first distinguish whether your gi (vital energy) is insufficient, or whether your body is in a heavy state due to accumulated yeop-mu (waste products). You can lose weight healthily without exhaustion only when you exercise at an intensity suited to your constitution.
I also used to throw myself into treadmill running with too much enthusiasm and learned the hard way. At first it seemed like I was losing weight, but then my knees started hurting and I had absolutely no energy, feeling dizzy. Actually, everyone has different energy efficiency, so the exercise method should differ accordingly.
For effective exercise, I recommend the following steps:
1. Check your body's 'heaviness': If you have accumulated dam-eum (phlegm-dampness), meaning unnecessary waste products built up inside, your body feels heavy and swells easily. In this case, light walking to help circulation takes priority over high-intensity running.
2. Check digestive function: For those with bi-heo (spleen qi deficiency), where spleen function is weak, recovery after exercise is reduced. For these individuals, instead of running excessively, exercising in short intervals while replenishing vital energy is recommended.
3. Check blood circulation status: With eo-hyeol (blood stasis), meaning stagnant blood, muscle soreness lingers and fatigue becomes severe. Stretching or light aerobic exercise is needed first to improve blood flow.
4. Set constitution-matched intensity: Those with abundant energy may benefit from interval training, while those with weak vital energy may find gentle incline walking more effective.
The key point is whether the exercise is within what your body can handle. If you'd like to consider together whether your current state is ready to accept exercise, please feel free to visit anytime.