Extreme endurance adventurer, life coach, motivational speaker and recipient of the Purple Hearts SA Award, Gaven Sinclair embarked on a 1000km adventure to launch BrandMed’s Syntro-P Wellbeing programme.
Sinclair, who is no stranger to the challenges of living with a lifestyle condition, has been running the Heel2Heal Challenge along the coastline of South Africa and arrived in Cape Town this month.
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His inspirational run, averaging on 50kms a day with a 15kg backpack, was part of the Heel2Heal Challenge to inspire those living with chronic conditions to take up the challenge and start with one small step each day to meet their health and wellness goals.
“Having run solo unsupported over 1000kms over the past 30 days had its daily challenges indeed. The final 100kms into the Mother City was both welcoming and emotional indeed. In the final stretch of the 28 stage run, I had been dealing with some lower back pain from carrying a 15kg backpack, bruised toes, and chronic fatigue from the disorientation of sleeping in a different bed every night. When I approached Cape Town, that all too familiar overcast sky and light rain welcomed me as the clouds settled over Table Mountain,” Sinclair told Cape {town} Etc.
The gruelling run along the beaches, highways and dirt roads of some of the country’s most beautiful coastline, gave Sinclair some serious mental and physical challenges along the route.
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Blisters, severe dehydration and exhaustion, coupled with many miggies in the mouth and harsh sunburn made each step taken a small daily victory.
Extreme temperatures, heavy rain, angular beaches and strong winds required intense concentration and mental stamina on this solo and unassisted run.
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“When I finally stopped, I felt a sense of honour and pride. I had made it. I had officially achieved my fifth solo unsupported extreme challenge for a good cause. It was both joyous and a little sad all at the same time. What a humbling experience to have received such exceptional support from so many, my followers on social media, South Africans who stopped and chatted to me on my run and then left goodie bags at quick stops, as well as all those who hosted me. It was extremely overwhelming. It’s a wonderful feeling knowing that you’ve impacted people’s lives, made a difference and actually encouraged someone to make that 1mm shift in their life,” he adds.
The Syntro-P Wellbeing programme is a first of its kind for people diagnosed with chronic conditions which include diabetes, eating disorders, heart disease, obesity, asthma, hypertension and many more.
Recent research shows that South Africa is one of the unhealthiest countries in the world and more than 60% of the adult population is living with a chronic condition. It is this entropy that prompted BrandMed to bring together a team of leading South African experts to create a revolutionary, virtual prescribed health and wellbeing programme.
By providing dietary guidelines, exercise and movement routines, breathing techniques, life skills, home monitoring solutions and educational insights, Syntro-P Wellbeing believes that by helping South Africans change their behaviour, they can help change society as a whole, by helping others in their families, communities or offices start living healthier and happier lives.
Says Dr Riaz Motara, cardiologist, physician and CEO of BrandMed Group, “We are all facing extreme challenges every day of our lives. Gaven Sinclair has proven that no matter how big the challenge, we all have the power to make the changes necessary to personal wellbeing.
“By partnering with Gaven for this 1000km extreme adventure, we hope we have shown South Africans that it is possible to face their daily extreme challenges and to work towards overcoming them, one small step at a time, with the help and guidance of the Syntro-P Wellbeing programme.”
By joining the Syntro-P Wellbeing programme, BrandMed is hoping to challenge South Africans to take a small step in the right direction to heal as individuals, as communities and the nation and ultimately shift the narrative of the individual and the country from a state of dis-ease to one of health and wellbeing.
For as little as R1,50 a day (R499/year), the Syntro-P Wellbeing progamme makes quality healthcare available in a virtual but very personal way. With an ever-growing connection to industry specialists, Syntro-P Wellbeing is the first step of many towards mental, physical and emotional wellbeing.
Visit www.syntropwellbeing.com to join the programme and follow the story of Gaven Sinclair’s Heel2Heal journey on https://vip.beepdsmart.com/card/gaven-sinclair-adventures.
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Pictures: Instagram