Woman with Type 2 diabetes credits running with helping her REVERSE condition – and is now medication free for the first time in a decade
- Snita Sharma, of Buckinghamshire, had Type 2 diabetes and was on medication
- The 51-year-old lived an inactive lifestyle fueled with takeaways and fizzy drinks
- After turning 49, she made a list of things to achieve before her 50th birthday
- Snita overhauled her diet, discovered running and reversed her Type 2 diabetes
A woman revealed how she reversed her Type 2 diabetes with the help of running.
Snita Sharma, 51, from Buckinghamshire, was diagnosed with the condition 10 years ago and said it had a ‘really serious impact’ on her life.
Despite being on medication, Snita, who is 5ft 1in and weighed 11st, did little to manage her condition and continued to indulge in a diet of unhealthy Indian food, takeaways, crisps and fizzy drinks while doing little exercise.
After celebrating her 49th birthday, Snita wrote a list of everything she wanted to achieve by her 50th – including getting her blood sugar levels under control.
Now: Snita Sharma, 51, from Buckinghamshire, revealed how running helped towards putting her Type 2 diabetes into remission. Pictured, after one of her recent races
Then: Despite being on medication, Snita, who is 5ft 1in and weighed 11st, did little to manage her condition and continued to indulge in a diet of unhealthy Indian food, takeaways, crisps and fizzy drinks while doing little exercise. Pictured, Snita before she discovered running
Personal achievements: Snita with some of her running medals. Snita credits her newfound love of exercise with helping to tackle the condition. She has successfully reversed her diabetes
Snita’s diet before…
Breakfast: Toast
Lunch: Sandwich, crisps & fizzy drink
Dinner: Fish & chips & fizzy drink
Snacks: Crisps, cakes, biscuits, chocolate
…Snita’s diet after
Breakfast: n/a
Lunch: Chicken & vegetable salad
Dinner: Soup or low-fat Indian meal
Snacks: Bone broth
With the support of her husband, Snita started eating healthier and joined a running club – and credits her newfound love of exercise with helping to tackle the condition.
Now almost two years later, Snita has dropped from 11st to 8st, has reversed her diabetes, and is no longer on medication.
‘Diabetes has had a really serious impact on my life,’ she explained.
‘For the first eight or nine years I didn’t really care and just ate what I wanted and took my medication but I never felt good and was always tired, hungry and experiencing mood swings.’
She continued: ‘After turning 49 I wrote a list with my family of all the things I wanted to do before I turned 50. They challenged me to put my Type 2 diabetes into remission by going on a strict diet.
‘My husband took me to a nearby leisure centre where we saw a notice about a beginners running club. I started running and my blood sugar levels started to slowly come down.’
The 51-year-old (pictured before) lost three stone by following a strict diet alongside increasing her daily exercise
Snita (pictured before) has been running medication-free for 19 months and now competes in marathons around the country
Snita began running with her local club every Wednesday, as well as doing extra runs throughout the week.
She also made key changes in her diet, ditching fish and chips and high-fat Indian foods for chicken and vegetables, soups and lower-fat Indian options.
The runner soon started to notice her weight dropping – and the benefit to her health that it brought.
Snita continued: ‘Losing weight can help you to put the condition into remission. As soon as I started to lose weight my blood sugar levels started to come down. I felt so much better and got faster as result, which helped me lose even more weight.’
Shortly before her 50th birthday, Snita was told she had reversed her condition.
Now a full-fledged ‘running addict’ Snita regularly runs 5ks, 10ks and half marathons. Later this year, she will take part in the Simplyhealth Great North Run and the Simplyhealth Great South Run – events held in partnership with Diabetes UK.
Snita (pictured now) believes running forced her to address her diet and has helped her to get fitter in addition to reversing her diabetes
Snita (pictured right) believes she wouldn’t have achieved her lifestyle transformation without the support of her running club
Snita is effusive in her praise for the impact running has had on her life and recently delivered a talk, with the help of Diabetes UK, on the life-changing effect it can have on other people living with diabetes.
She said: ‘The impact running has had on my life has been huge. If I hadn’t joined my running club and the got the support I’ve had from my coach and the rest of the group I wouldn’t have kept it up.
‘Running has really helped my diabetes by getting me fitter and forcing me to address my diet, which together have helped me diabetes enter into remission.’
She added: ‘It’s been a real journey which I’m still on and I feel like a changed person. I have so much energy and do so much more in a day than I ever did before. It’s been truly life-changing.’
Snita (pictured) says she now has much more energy and is able to do more each day
Simplyhealth has partnered with Diabetes UK for the 2019 Simplyhealth Great Run Series. For expert tips and training advice visit www.greatrun.org/training-simplyhealth
Source: Read Full Article