The "Figure Skating Queen" Yuna Kim and the "Volleyball Empress" Kim Yeon-koung — two legends of their sports — finally met.
On the 22nd, Yuna Kim appeared on Kim Yeon-koung's YouTube channel, candidly sharing her post-retirement life and health habits while giving fans a long-awaited update.
Introducing herself as being in her first year of retirement, Kim Yeon-koung asked, "People always say they'll stop working out after they retire. What is it actually like for you?" Without hesitation, Yuna Kim replied, "I really don't work out," leaving Kim Yeon-koung stunned.
When asked about her daily routine, Yuna Kim said calmly, "I just eat well and rest well. Nothing special." She added, "Even on days off during my competitive years, I couldn't really rest. In the back of my mind, I was always worried about the next competition, and if I had shoots on top of that, the break wasn't a real break." She explained, "After retiring, that pressure disappeared, and I feel much more at ease."
Asked how she maintains herself without exercising, Yuna Kim said, "My work still puts me in front of people, so I do need to manage myself," adding, "I control things through my diet instead of working out." When asked, "Are you someone who doesn't gain weight easily?" she laughed and waved her hands, saying, "No."
By contrast, Kim Yeon-koung opened up about a rough patch after retiring. "I was eating late-night snacks and drinking, and my health check showed hyperlipidemia. My liver enzyme levels went up, too. I even felt like my blood was getting sticky," she confessed. "So now I'm back to exercising and taking care of myself. If I don't move, my body feels heavy and stiff."
Yuna Kim joked, "If I feel sluggish, I just move even less," highlighting their opposite approaches and drawing laughter.
The two traded relatable lines like, "I don't even know why I started working out again," and, "Then people say, 'Why didn't you just keep playing as a pro?'" bonding over shared post-retirement experiences.