WHEN FITNESS ISN’T ENOUGH

Join Us on Friday for A Free Webinar

June 18, 2025

Last week, 28-year-old Kenyan track star Elid Kipsang died of cardiac arrest in the U.S. He was in peak form. Active, young and a champion.

It reminded me of others:

  • Sam Okwaraji, Nigeria’s football icon, collapsed mid-match at 25.

  • Jim Fixx, the man who made jogging mainstream, died during a run.

  • Adrian Lehmann, Swiss national marathon champion, collapsed during training.

There were no symptoms or warnings. All were fit. All were disciplined. All died from heart-related conditions.

We’ve been told: Exercise, eat clean, avoid smoking and you will live long.

But Jeanne Calment lived to 122 while smoking daily and eating two pounds of chocolate weekly.

My great-grandfather lived past 100, sharp and witty and loved his brandy, with his elder sister still pounding yam for him at over 100.

These aren’t arguments for unhealthy habits but proof that true health is far more complex and a challenge to shallow and limiting definitions.

I was very fit. I swam for 40 minutes to an hour every single day. I took long walks and these are two exercises that are good for cardio, yet I suffered a massive heart attack with no warning just like the examples I have shared. The only difference is that by God's grace I am alive to tell the story.

One of the greatest misconceptions and myths is that fitness is the same thing as healthy. Some survive on clean food but die from toxic thoughts. Some run marathons but crumble under emotional trauma. Some have abs but no peace.

I learnt the hard way that real health isn’t just what you eat or how you move but about how you rest, your mental and emotional state, how you think, love, and connect and what you carry inside.

It’s not how fast your heart beats when you run. It’s whether it’s at peace when you rest.

Join me on Friday 20th June at 6pm East Africa Time for a free webinar where I will shed a lot of light on what I have learnt through this process, the mistakes made and the obvious signs that were missed.

I believe one of the reasons I was spared is for this purpose. It is indeed a matter of life and death!

. See you there and tag someone you love. This conversation could save them.