08/09/2025
This past week I had the privilege of presenting a Health and Fitness Seminar to our wonderful members of my church, The Shepherd's Church. Members who were 55 years of age and older were invited. Despite the deluge of rain we were having that day, most of them showed up The purpose of my talk was to inspire and encourage them to care for their bodies in ways that honor God and improve the health-span of the years they have left on this earth.
As I was preparing for my talk, the Lord impressed upon my heart to use a photo my brother had randomly sent me - he had no idea about my talk. It was of my mom in 1970 at the age of 46, a year after arriving in the US from Greece...She is holding the hand of my little sister, Olga age 3, her 10th child...
My mom's entire life while in Greece consisted of hard physical labor, raising 10 children (though she lost 3 of them), working the farm with my dad and other family members; trying to make ends meet, using all that their farm produced to feed her family: lambs, goats, pigs, chickens, produce, grains, herbs, olives.... We ate wholesome, clean, fresh, simple foods: homemade bread, homemade pasta, plain Greek Yogurt, fresh olive oil, honey, fresh herbs, figs, walnuts and every part of the animal from the feet to the brains and everything in between. We drank fresh water, and they drank a little wine...
She and my dad stayed in the US from 1969-1983 to give us a chance for a better life....
My mom's life was easier by the world's standards, but detrimental to her mental and physical health. Isolation from her people and her extended family, lack of vigorous physical movement, processed foods, added sugars, sweetened drinks, menopause...
She and my dad returned to Greece without any of us, (Olga was starting high school by then and would be staying with my oldest sister Nikole). But the damage to my mom's gut, her heart and her mind from her new life style had begun a downward spiral... My mom passed away in 2003 at the age of 79 from a second stroke. My dad passed away in 2011 at the age of 88 (He still had a lot of vigor up to the end).
My message to you is this: Stay as physically active as you can. Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can!
1. Stay physically active throughout all your life - because life is hard even at the elementary stage as you transition from home into a school environment, and all the rest of your seasons that follow. You will need your mental, physical and spiritual strength to get through each stage of life.
2. Engage in rigorous, progressive strength training to maintain your muscle power and the integrity of your bones so that you can resist the forces that throw you off balance and can cause you to fall after age 60.
3. Fuel your body, gut and brain with wholesome, clean, simple, unprocessed foods and remove all added sugars from your food and drinks.
4. Spend quality time with your friends and family members - it's good for your soul.
5.. Stay off social media- they don't have your best interest in mind.
6. Find time to rest from all your labors. Your mind and body need to recharge and repair. And above all...
7. Spend time getting to know the God who created you in His image, by reading His word, so that you can learn how to live a life for His glory and your good.
"Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect." Romans 12:2 (NLT)
I am so grateful to my mom and dad for the impact they had on my life.
