On July 8, you turned 75. You celebrated this anniversary rollerblading and cycling in Vingis Park, and now even many 30-year-olds complain that they don’t have the strength to do anything similar.
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I want and do everything, and I don’t have time to do everything I have planned (smiles). I thought that when I retire, I would be calm and have time to browse books and sometimes lie down in front of the TV, but unfortunately, I probably won’t see that because I have many different tasks. Recently, my and Asta Grigaliūnienė’s book “Algis Frankonis. Choruses of Life” was published by Kazimieras Matačiūnas’s publishing house “Kriventa.” Before that, I gave lectures to Third Age University students about healthy living, and I still travel very successfully around Lithuania with music. Producer and event host Giedrius Gustas contributes to that. And Asta and I are still writing a children’s fairy tale, which will be released both in paper form and on CD. It will feature songs I have sung for children in Spanish and Lithuanian.
You take great care of your diet, exercise a lot, or what is your secret?
When I was born, there was no television yet. So, what did we kids do? We came back from school, did our homework, and spent all our time doing sports. Maybe that determined a lot, after all, doctors say for a reason: if a child often exercises until about 18 years old, it has a very good effect on their body not only physically but overall. I think there are three main things: as little stress as possible, proper nutrition, and, of course, movement. But sports for me is definitely not a compulsion, but, roughly speaking – a real thrill. I really like rollerblading and skiing; I have tried a lot. In my youth, I attended the “Žalgiris” football school, I was a goalkeeper. I remember it was even written in the press: “Algis Frankonis is as agile as a squirrel.” I still remember that phrase to this day (smiles).
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As for food – I definitely don’t eat just anything. I cook healthy food myself, eat a lot of vegetables and fruits, and never choose fast food. When I’m at my daughter’s in the United States, I go to an organic food store, and in Vilnius, I have to visit three or four stores. In one to buy fruits, in another organic chicken… Many things are really nicely packaged, but not healthy.
Still, one incident slowed you down – you cracked a rib after falling down the stairs. How do you feel now?
