All posts filed under: fitness

Mile 22

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It started off great. Adrenaline rushing through my body, my music playlist blasting one motivational song after another, and it was early enough that the picturesque landscape of St. George, Utah began distracting me. The colorful sunrise greeted me as my feet hit the warming pavement. Before I knew it, I was at mile 13. Ah, halfway there. I exhaled. And then—my adrenaline wore off and the pain in my knees and hips took notice. The music in my ears couldn’t drown out the heavy beating in my chest. As the hot, blazing sun replaced the crisp morning chill, the miles became longer and longer and the finish line seemed unreachable. In 490 B.C., a Greek messenger ran from the site of the Battle of Marathon to Athens to announce the Greek victory over the Persians. Pheidippides ran the entire 40 kilometers (nearly 25 miles) without stopping and exclaimed, “Vενικήκαμεν” (Nenikikamen—We are victorious!) to the gathered Athenians, then fell dead. The first modern Olympic games in Athens, in 1896, introduced the marathon as a noble test …

Let’s Walk

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Stand up—I have some big news for you. As Americans, most of our days are spent sitting and our fannies are paying for it. That probably wasn’t the most shocking of news, but stay standing. Between driving to and from work, typing at desks, watching reruns of Friends (guilty) or popular Netflix movies, and then lying down in bed to repeat it all again in the morning, the only walking we get is moving to and from the next seated position. It’s time to give our fannies some attention. It’s time to go for a much-needed walk or volta (stroll) as they say in Greece. We were made to walk. But, our lives have changed and we are now more sedentary than ever, spending most of our time sitting or lying down. The first thing in the morning we read and check social media while lying in bed. We sit in our cars as we order a Grande caramel latte macchiato with whip cream, or whatever those popular Starbucks drinks are. Instead of walking to …

Greek Super Mama

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She smothers her children with love and support, she’s selfless, and she protects those she cares about. She’s an excellent host and cooks for armies large or small. She makes the best home cooked meals and her guests always ask for more. The next day sends her paidia (children) to school armed with leftover pita, moussaka and dolmathes. Raging rain or scorching sunshine she ensures no one leaves the house without a jacket. She’s the last to go to bed, and the first to awaken. She works hard. Everything she does is for her family and others, leaving little time for herself. She’s a Greek Super Mama. I have a Greek Super Mama. You probably have one as well, so we’re all familiar with their sacrifices as they ignore their own needs by putting themselves last in order to care for others first. After a day of juggling between long work hours, she ends the day with stacks of endless dirty laundry that never seems to get smaller. Then she puts it all into the …

5 Ways To Survive A Greek Festival

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You’ve seen this one before: a Greek Orthodox Church grounds decked head to toe in the blue and white colors of the Greek flag, hoards wearing Greek flag hats and T-shirts, long lines at entry points to the festivities and kids scrambling in with ease because their traditional Greek costume is their free entry pass. No matter where you live, you can find a Greek festival near you. They are like Starbucks. You could travel across America and find a Greek Festival every month of the year, except December, when even Greeks take a holiday break. Greek festivals are something else. All those kids dancing with kefi (high energy) while battling the heat in their heavily layered costumes. Booths and shops displaying wares from far away Greece—or Astoria, New York. And let’s be honest, you know the crown jewel of any Greek Fest are the delicious Greek treats, eats, and drinks. If you are not Greek, you’ve been dreaming about that deep fried crispy calamari since last year’s festival. You’re fine with standing in any …