Gavin Cowden left diabetes in his dust, cycling towards his dreams

Gavin Cowden’s friends tell him he’s half the man he used to be. It’s true

"I weighed over 100 kg, I remember one day being out of breath, just bending over to tie my shoe laces," says Gavin. "Now I weigh around 80 kg. I was on chronic medication for high blood pressure and cholesterol and was diagnosed with insulin resistance so I was one step away from becoming diabetic. But now I am off all my medication and my blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar are all normal." The health and fitness he’s fought so hard for have also rewarded him in another way. Gavin is a double South African (C5) Para-Cycling Champion, competing internationally. These days this Nelspruit resident and environmental manager has never felt better, fitter or healthier!

Gavin's inspiring journey to health and achievement began when he left school. "I let myself go," he explains. "I was lazy and very out of shape. I ate too much and obviously became overweight. I joined a gym one year and literally went once. I was eventually so far down the unhealthy lifestyle road, that I was headed for a debilitating illness - diabetes or maybe even a stroke or heart attack." Gavin knew it was simply a result of his bad choices, unhealthy eating and lifestyle. "These were factors fully in my control," he says. In 2009, after caddying for a friend in a golf tournament, Gavin woke up and couldn't move. Herniated discs in his lower back were putting pressure on his sciatic nerve. Despite physiotherapy and Pilates he needed surgery. He woke up from the operation with neuromuscular damage that caused a condition commonly referred to as a Drop Foot (a type of gait abnormality in which the forefoot drops due to weakness or damage to the sciatic nerve, and weakening of the muscles that allow for flexing of the ankle and toes) in his right foot."

Gavin's approach to healthy eating

Gavin admits that healthy eating is not always easy. "It can be a real challenge! I eat like a diabetic and try not to spike my blood sugar and eat regularly to keep my blood sugar levels constant. I have food stores all over the place - Woolies Low GI bars in my car, laptop bag, etc in case I get hungry and there is no healthy food available," he adds. "Sometimes meetings can drag on and Wilfred starts crying." Wilfred is the pet name Gavin has given to his so-called friendly worm responsible for his cravings or desire for extra food. “Sometimes I think Wilfred even has worms. Seriously though, I think that a lot of people suffer from an eating disorder of sorts. Personally I still consider myself to have an eating disorder. It's almost like alcoholism. You will never recuperate fully - it's something you will always have to manage. I am very conscious about what I eat. I used to live to eat, now I eat to live. It’s all about making good food choices. Now, every food choice is a cost-benefit analysis. I think about what it is I am eating, what the sugar, fat and carb content is like. How many calories are in it? Do I need it? Can I rather eat something else that is better for me? Do I need the calories, etc. As a cyclist, I consider my body more like a Formula 1 Grand Prix car that only takes on as much fuel as is necessary to get over the finish line first,” he adds. "That's easier said than done though as I personally don't know of any cyclist that is truly happy with their weight, from those cycling to lose weight to professionals that push to shed the last few grams that may make that 1:100 of a second difference between winning and losing."

Portion sizes also matter. "That's something we tend to easily overlook. We tend to want to eat more than what we need. Think about a typical braai. The host makes a potato bake, someone brings a potato salad, someone else brings a pasta salad, someone maybe brings a rice salad, then there’s also garlic bread, maybe braaibroodjies, or baked potatoes or butternut cooked in the coals, then melktert or apple crumble for desert. That’s probably more carbs than Chris Froome needs to win a stage of the Tour de France!" adds Gavin. "Add to this the fact that our busy lifestyles see us tend to rush what we eat or eat on-the-go. I believe eating is an issue almost everyone has had a love-hate relationship with at some stage in their lives."

These days Gavin eats mainly low-GI carbs and avoids all junk food and sugar (unless he’s training in which case he uses medium-GI sugars to fuel his exercise). "I have had two waffles – I can remember each one – in six years," he says. "I don't eat pies anymore. I have salad or vegetables with restaurant meals instead of chips and hardly ever eat chocolate but do love Future Life Lite protein bars. I stay away from crisps rather opting to eat other healthier snacks such as provitas with humus or cottage cheese mixed with biltong powder or pesto, plain biltong or nuts," he adds. "I don’t eat mutton or lamb anymore as it's way too high in saturated fats, and I steer clear of trans fats and fried foods. I choose the grilled option in restaurants rather, and try not to also eat too much bread. I love tuna salad and have veggies with chicken or beef or in a stir fry."

Gavin’s motto: "Opportunity from adversity".

"I cannot reverse the nerve damage in my foot but, were it not for this impairment, I would not have lost 20 kg, I would not be living a healthier lifestyle, and I would not be cycling at international level," he admits. "I am therefore a strong advocate of living a healthy lifestyle and of cycling as a healthy lifestyle sport, as I have first-hand experience of how my lifestyle change has allowed me to live a healthier and happier life, and achieve beyond my expectations. Not everyone will be an Olympian but everyone owes it to themselves to be the best they can be." Gavin's coach, Jaco Ferreira, reminds him constantly to "make it count!" whether it be a hard interval session or an hour active recovery. "That principle also applies to life, in terms of everything we do - the time we spend with our family and friends, at work, on holidays, and more," he adds. "Live in the moment and be in the present."