An Indian-origin Chief Financial Officer (CFO) recently revealed how he reversed his diabetes without taking any medication. According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP), Ravi Chandra, a CFO at Amoli Enterprises Ltd, was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes at the age of 51. At the time, his doctor recommended he start taking medication for the disease. However, he started running instead, which helped his blood glucose levels to return to normal in just three months. He has never needed to take medication, he told the outlet.
According to SCMP, Mr Chandra was diagnosed with diabetes in 2015. Since then, he has run 29 races - 12 marathons in Hong Kong, China, Taiwan and India, 5 half-marathons, 7 10-kilometre races and 5 ultra runs, including the 100-kilometre Oxfam Trailwalker in Hong Kong. Just three months after he started running regularly, his blood glucose levels had fallen back into the normal range, to 6.80 from 8.
"I felt that once I started [medication], the dosage would keep increasing. I felt that improving my fitness levels would help control the diabetes. In addition, my work was very stressful and I thought regular exercise would help calm me down," Mr Chandra told the outlet.
The Indian-origin CFO revealed that he first tried running in 2011, inspired by his friend, who has run more than 100 marathons. However, after an incident, he stopped running until his diabetes diagnosis. When he chose to give running another go, he took a fresh approach.
"I began by walking for a kilometre, and then I would run-walk-run for 10km. Soon, my stamina improved, and I was able to run 10km without stopping three to four times a week," he told the outlet.
Now, Mr Chandra said that he runs 8km to 9km six days a week before going to work. On Saturdays, after work, he goes for a long run, often on his favourite route on Lantau Island, from Tung Chung, where he lives, to Disneyland and Hong Kong International Airport. "It's a 21km stretch and is beautiful. I love running by the sea," he said.
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Mr Chandra also revealed that he runs using the maximal aerobic function (MAF) technique. This involves training at a low-intensity aerobic heart rate specific to an individual based on age and other factors. "Using this method has helped me run slower than I normally would, which has kept me injury-free," he explained.
The CFO estimates that he has run roughly 20,000 kilometres since he started running. He considers running to be both addictive and contagious. His children, aged 29 and 24, were also motivated to take up running after seeing their father succeed.
Speaking to the outlet Mr Chandra said that he typically only eats vegetarian food, occasionally having fish or chicken. The majority of his breakfast is made up of carbohydrates in the form of curd rice, idli, or dosa. For his lunch and dinner, he frequently eats rice served with cooked veggies. He also consumes fruit as a snack and uses apples and oranges as fuel for lengthy runs and races.
