On reflection of this my 50^th birthday, I say “Where in the world did the time go?”

I remember when I was 16 thinking that 50 was so old. And now I think, 50 is so young, because I still feel 16 on the inside.

I probably have another 50 years in me if I keep up with my fitness–although I’m not sure I want to live that long as heaven is more and more appealing every day since my body is slowly starting to fall apart, every cut, scratch, or bruise takes an eon to heal, and my arm has grown too short for me to read without glasses. It makes me wish I had started stretching the mileage at a much earlier age by eating better, sleeping more, and using essential oils.

Strangers and friends alike often remark that I don’t look 50. Yes, I work out regularly, but I confess that part of the credit goes to my genes. At 74, my motorcycle-riding mother still defies the speed limit on the interstate, cleans a house a breakneck speed, and is known as “Legs” on her over-70 softball team, so I have a lot to live up to.

The other part is my “spiritual genes.” Jesus challenged that if we don’t change and become like little children, heaven is out of our reach. God doesn’t call us his “grown-ups,” he calls us his children because there’s a part of us that’s supposed to stay young no matter how many gray hairs we have (or if we don’t have any hair at all).

So here are my Top Ten Tips for being Fantastically Fit and Fiercely Faithful at 50:

1. FLOSS EVERY DAY – It will save you SO much money in the long run

2. READ YOUR BIBLE EVERY DAY – It will save you SO much heartache in the long run

3. MOISTURIZE – While wrinkles are inevitable, a good moisturizer keeps them at bay until you don’t care anymore

4. FORGIVE – While being hurt by others is inevitable, letting go of bitterness helps you so you can care more

5. PRACTICE YOGA – it keeps your joints from growing stiff and hardening

6. PRACTICE PRAYER – it keeps your heart from storing stuff and hardening

7. READ, READ, READ – learning keeps your mind youthful

8. GIVE, GIVE, GIVE – sharing keeps your heart young

9. BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU EAT – your body is your temple, the only one you get

10. BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WATCH – your eyes are your windows to the only soul you get

So why I still may be determined to pluck out every errant gray hair on my head, it’s good for me to remember that God knows each of one them anyway.