Hultner Estrada
Bethany McEwan
“As a pastor, it’s not easy to stay in shape,” says Ricardo Herrera. “Many of my fellow pastors suffer from diabetes, high blood pressure, and obesity.”
Ricardo has served as a pastor for more than 30 years, and he knows firsthand the difficulties of trying to balance ministry and a healthy lifestyle. In describing the life of a pastor, he shares, “we have to go to events with lots of food, we often eat at irregular times, we use cars or motorcycles for all our transportation, we never exercise, and we don’t even discuss healthy living among ourselves!”
Ricardo’s lifestyle doesn’t just affect him; it also affects his wife Olga. “I went to a seminar, and I got on the scale. When I saw that I weighed nearly 200 pounds, it really bothered me,” she explains.

In April of this year, Ricardo and his wife attended the workshop “Integral Health and Nutrition.” In this special training session for pastoral couples in Leon, the Nehemiah Center shared the “Seven Pillars of Health” by author Dr. Don Colbert.
Dr. Colbert emphasizes seven basic practices to stay healthy mentally, emotionally, and physically:
- Drinking enough water
- Resting and sleeping enough
- Eating raw foods
- Exericising
- Detoxifying the body
- Paying attention to stress levels
- Using vitamins and supplements
Learn more about the Seven Pillars of Health. The PDF and PowerPoint are available in spanish here.
“Now in the house we are more careful with what we eat. We have gotten rid of soft drinks, we eat more fruits and vegetables, and we’ve eliminated greasy foods,” says Olga.
“I learned that I am responsible to keep myself healthy, and I like that the pastors learned that our health is as important as our theology. God wants us to be healthy,” Ricardo concludes.
Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you
and that you may be in good health,
as it goes well with your soul.
John the Apostle (3 John 2)