From the military to the mountains, how Korea taught me a radically different way to care for my mind and body
From Combat Zones to Jjimjilbangs - My First Culture Shock
After years of structure, drills, and deployment,
I left the U.S. Army and settled in Korea, my parents’ homeland.
One of the first things that hit me wasn’t the language or customs—
it was how deeply well-being is woven into daily life here.
Back in the States, “self-care” often felt like a luxury.
In Korea, it felt like a lifestyle.
My first visit to a jjimjilbang (Korean spa) was more healing
than any wellness app I’d ever downloaded.
Food as Medicine - Why Korean Meals Are Built for Health
In the Army, meals were fast, functional, and full of sodium.
Korea flipped my entire idea of nutrition.
Here, every meal seems built for balance:
fermented foods for digestion, seaweed for minerals,
broths for immunity, and variety for gut health.
You don’t need supplements when your lunch is bibimbap
with a dozen plant-based sides.
The philosophy isn’t about dieting.
It’s about eating to live well, long-term.
Movement for Life, Not Looks - How Koreans Rethink Fitness
In the U.S., fitness often means reps, sweat, and six-packs.
In Korea, I saw 70-year-olds out walking at dawn,
doing work out in parks, and stretching on mountain trails.
Exercise here isn’t punishment. It’s preservation.
From hiking culture to city-wide walking paths,
wellness isn’t tied to aesthetics—it’s tied to longevity.
Healing in Silence - Forests, Tea, and Digital Minimalism
As a veteran, overstimulation was my norm—alerts, sirens, screens.
Korea surprised me with its quiet spaces designed to restore.
Tea houses with no Wi-Fi.
Forest trails with signs encouraging silence.
Temple stays where your phone stays off.
Here, “well-being” doesn’t always come with music and a yoga mat.
Sometimes, it comes in stillness—and that changed everything for me.
Community over Competition - A Social Approach to Self-Care
In the U.S., wellness often felt solo: private routines, personal goals.
In Korea, it’s often communal: family hikes, group saunas,
and shared meals at the end of it all.
Elders walk in groups. Friends go to jjimjilbangs together.
Even wellness is something people do together.
There’s less emphasis on performance,
more on shared rhythm and mutual care.
What America Could Learn - Integrating Holistic Wellness into Modern Life
America excels in fitness tech, supplements, and personal trainers.
But Korea showed me that wellness isn’t just what you buy—
it’s how you live, eat, rest, and connect.
We don’t need more protein shakes.
We need more walks with elders.
Less hustle, more hanok-style stillness.
Living in Korea reminded me:
health isn’t a project—it’s a way of being.