There is something i need to talk about | My struggle with Asthma | introduceyourself

I mentioned in my last post that as a kid I used to battle with chronic asthma. I wanted to talk more about that now and explain how I overcame it, so that others hopefully can also.

My asthma was so bad that I was on three different sets of medication, namely an asthavent inhaler, singulair tablets and occasionally a nebuliser. I was admitted to hospital twice because my parents thought I was going to have an attack, which I probably was.

I used to love running in school. Long distance track and cross country was my favorite, plus I was pretty good at it.

However, my asthma was holding me back big time. Before a race my chest would often get really tight and I would have to withdraw. Sometimes it was the weather which aggravated my asthma, other times stress before a big running competition. It would just push me over the edge so that I was not able to compete.

So that is my history with asthma in a nutshell.

You might be wondering how it is that I have cycled over 10 000km on my bike in 2017, over some of the hardest road climbs in the world (including Thailand's brutal Doi Inthanon).

It is actually really simple. I changed my diet.

In September 2015 I went full vegan. I cut out all animal products and focused my diet around fruits, vegetables and starches. Within a month my symptoms of asthma started to clear up.

I remember doing a running race and just thinking "WOW, what was that!" My chest was so clear. The doctors who were treating me through the years were as shocked as I was.

I can count on one hand the amount of times I have used an inhaler these past two years. The last time I can recall was in January or so this year when there was a massive fire in our town. I don't blame asthma for my chest tightening up though, as everyone was battling with the smoke at this time.

So going vegan has really helped me become a healthier person and a better athlete. In Thailand this year I met another cyclist who had a similar story to mine. He claims dairy was the killer all those years. Once he cut that out, his chest cleared up in no time.

I want to ask a quick favor of you before I end this post off...

Please share this with a friend or family member who might be battling with asthma. Changing my diet has really worked for me and it might work for them also.