Hi, Everyone!

As the son of an amazing woman who has been a type 1 Diabetic for over 45 years, I had always assumed what diabetes was, how it works and who was at risk.

However following a test online with Diabetes UK and a visit to a Doctor I was shocked to find that with my current weight, fat percentage and genealogy (126 kg and 38% respectively) that I was at a major risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

I had arrogantly assumed this was a sedentary old person's disease, and having been raise by a type 1 diabetic that I knew everything there was to know about this chronic illness. Turns out not many people do, with type 1 and type 2 confused as the same (they're not) and with the number of diabetics doubling since 1996 there will be, if current trends continue almost 5 million diabetics in the UK, with the numbers of Type 1 staying the same, yet Type 2 sky rocketing.

This is largely to do with sedentary lifestyles, the rise in obesity and the consumption of sugar in our diets. Combined with poor education and awareness people literally, will eat themselves into Type 2 diabetes and not knowing they are doing so.

So with this revelation, I have decided there is no need for another diabetic in the family, especially when it can be prevented, and that Diabetes UK needs all the help it can get to educate and fund research. 

I am going to train for a Sprint Traithlon taking place in the greatest city on earth: Leeds.

A sprint is a shorter Triathlon of a 750m swim, 20km cycle and 5km run. 

I will be doing two shorter ones to warm up beforehand and decided from being heavily overweight and sedentary to 36kg lighter and doing a triathlon that Sprint was the most realistic in the time frame.

Thanks for giving to my page, I have set a target of £200 and any donation is warmly received.

Thanks, I'll keep you updated and I'll see you lycra clad in Leeds.
Alex