Korean couple, aged 57 & 62, became fitness influencers in their 50s
It's in the mind.
By
Tan Min-Wei
August 17, 2024, 02:12 PM
There's a trend in Korea of taking body profile pictures meant to capture people in the best shape of their lives.
Such portraits of bodies in their prime are usually of younger people in their 20s or 30s.
But for Kim Sunok, 57, and Kang Changdong, 62, they decided to get in the best shape of their lives in their late 50s.
Never too old to start
Public fascination with the couple stemmed from a TikTok in 2022 by their daughter, who shared a clip of her parents in the United States for a visit and continuing their exercise regime while on holiday.
The video gained over 3 million views.
@dmdhyedmd They are my couple goal #fitcheck #parents #couplegoals #couplegym #korean #fyp #familytime #fy #LA #shopping #parentlife #gymtok #gymmotivation ♬ BORN FOR THIS - Foxxi
Their daughter Grace later shared the story of how they decided to get fit.
@dmdhyedmd Reply to @ohheygirlhey The last picture is the highlight for me #greenscreen #storytime #parentsoftiktok #fyp #fitnessjourney ♬ Coming of Age - Blondes
Her mother, Kang, had not been particularly active until about 10 years ago, it was revealed.
The change occurred after taking up pilates.
Kim, on the other hand, had been an amatuer kickboxer and regular footballer, but would eventually wear out the cartilage in his knees due to overuse.
As the couple aged, they began to get some health concerns.
Kim in particular had signs of pre-diabetes, and decided to begin an exercise regime in order to maintain his health.
But the pair would take it to the next step around 2021 when Kim decided to add taking a body profile picture to his bucket list.
The couple did everything as a "package", and both of them decided that it would be far easier to achieve the goal together than it would be individually.
The results speak for themselves.
Faced challenges
But it was not an entirely smooth journey.
Kim wore out his knees.
This prevented him from walking for too long, having to stop to rest every 15 minutes or so, or needing to lean on someone.
Videos shared to the couple's Instagram account said he had developed a preference for baggy trousers because it hid his knee issues.
It did not hurt that he looked really good in them — in Kim's words.
But the issues would eventually prompt him to go for knee replacement surgery, after initially resisting the procedure because he felt he was too young for it.
The surgery did not deter him from his commitment to exercise, with Kang sharing her husband's experience pre- and post-surgery, showing him going right back to the gym as soon as he was able to.
But it turns out that he had a loftier goal in mind.
He elected to go for the surgery and rushed his recovery in order to walk his daughter down the aisle at her wedding and share a first dance.
Screenshot via @okdong_fit/instagram
Mission accomplished.
Top image via @okdong_fit/instagram
