Bodybuilder? It makes people think of the word ‘muscle’ and ‘muscle’ makes people think of the word ‘man’. However, Miss ‘Yoo Mihee’ is an exception to this prejudice. She won a prize for ‘Mr. and Ms. Korea contest under 49kg’ and has been awarded continuously since then. She is 37 years old, but you can see her on our campus. Why? She is a Chung-Ang University freshman. Why did she choose to become a university student again?

1. How splendid your prizes are! I knew that you were an aerobics teacher. When did you become a bodybuilder?
I was an athlete of aerobics. And I started weight training in 1996. I registered my name as a bodybuilder in 2006. For 10 years, I did aerobics, not bodybuilder.
2. Other athletes have the difficulty of dieting in contest season. I saw a certain article that while exercising, enjoying controlling diet and conditioning is important. What makes you enjoy the process and what motivates you to continue bodybuilding?
I started weight training to reduce my weight. However, in 2006, as soon as I registered myself as an athlete, I was able to become a member of the national team, since I had been preparing to become a national player for a long time. As soon as I debuted, I joined the national team immediately. I won in every competition. So I continued this career. In 2007, I participated in an international competition and I thought I was a frog in a well. Bodies of international players are different from those of Korean athletes. I worked hard to win on the international stage, and was lucky to be chosen as a Grand Prix of Korea, the top woman bodybuilder in Korea. The following year I won a silver medal, which motivated me to try for the gold medal which I won in 2008. For 3 years, many juniors regarded me as a role model so I could not stop exercising to serve as an example to them. Two years after, I encountered a problem inside the country so I could not participate in international competition. Therefore, I have been waiting 2 years and this year, I will take part in the Asia and World competition held in Thailand in October. Next year like any other year, I will be tempted to stop bodybuilding, but I think I will continue to do it.
3. Yoo Seung-ho, your husband, is also a bodybuilder. Maybe this is a good and bad thing.
Sure. The best part is that I can share information with him. However, the disadvantage is that I can’t tell him that bodybuilding is hard. If I express that it is hard for me to exercise, he tells me to stop bodybuilding. Because Bodybuilding is not a mainstream sport, income is short and I do it mostly for honor. Of course, if I change as a member of the national team to professional, I may make a lot of money.
4. You dropped out of university. What made you come back to school as a Chung–Ang University student?
In sports, book knowledge is also important, of course, but real experience is more important than in other field of studies. Therefore, I like to share my knowledge with my company in Chung-Ang University. The reason why I selected Chung-Ang University is because Chung-Ang University is popular for bodybuilding. Besides, I had always wanted to enter Chung-Ang University. I knew that a professor in Chung-Ang University brought in bodybuilding contests from other countries to Korea. Also, many of my seniors are from Chung-Ang University. So, I always thought that if I were to go to university again, I would want to enter Chung-Ang University. This year, I thought that I would have time to study, but against my expectations, I don’t have much time, so I applied for a leave of absence from school. I went to school every day and I exerted myself not to be absent for school, but it is very hard for me, because I am an athlete, housekeeper, and a student. In October, I have a big competition, so I cannot go to university. I think in studying, age is not important. So I want to graduate slowly and I like to study.
5. I know that you run ‘I’ GYM’, or fitness club. You want to foster your juniors? Or if you have other dreams, tell me about them.
First, I want to enjoy the life of athlete until I cannot be a bodybuilder any more. I think that it is necessary in Korea that we should popularize body building; not just have juniors and mentor juniors. I try to contribute to let many people know the events happening in ‘Bodybuilding’ and I want people to know that bodybuilding competitions are very fun and very easy to enjoy.
6. At last, what do you think is the attraction of body building?
The attraction of bodybuilding is being candid. The investment of time, the investment of effort, and the moderation of many temptations are expressed in my body. If I break the rules that I make, the next day I can see the signs of what I did yesterday. Keep in mind that many things in life state are just as it is in bodybuilding.

We see many people around us that are trying to achieve their dreams at an older age like Yoo Mi-hee. There is a saying: better late than never. Maybe you know the fable of tortoise and the hare. Although the hare can run faster than the tortoise, the tortoise reached the goal earlier. Yoo Mi-hee is the same as a tortoise in that she does not set her limits for herself in her study and tries to accomplish her dream although she may be slower than others. We try to settle for the present in our lives. However, if we do not have conviction and willingness of our lives, we simply live our lives as ‘surplus people.’ She plays a triple role as a student, an athlete, and a mother. Maybe she works very hard to do all these things. However, she does not like to fail. What we should learn from her is her courage as well as her passion.