From the couch to his first 5 km race

Reality check

Growing up in Paarl, Western Cape, Alexander Scott was an active young man, he loved athletics and everything that kept him outdoors. But after he left college and started to zero in on his career and building a family, he spent more time sitting in front of his computer or on the couch and less time outdoors. As a result, he gained quite a bit of weight and his health suffered.

Seven years ago, Alexander received a sobering reality check during his annual visit to his doctor when he was diagnosed with hypertension. Four years later, in January 2020, he received another life-changing diagnosis of type 2 diabetes. "I was scared, not knowing and not having the knowledge of everything. I tried to rectify this but of course you can't rectify overnight what happened over a couple of years," says Alexander. "I tried to correct this on my own; however, I found myself back at square one until I stumbled upon a Vitality group that walked and ran in our area on Strava," he adds.

Doing it on his own

Motivated to change his life, Alexander managed to lose a little bit of weight but not enough to make a real impact. As a diabetic, he knew how important it was to not only lose a significant amount of weight, but to also have a complete lifestyle overhaul. Even though he was putting in a substantial amount of effort, the results did not match. "I think that's why I failed the first time, I was alone. Yes, I had the support of my family but they didn't really know what I was going through with the weight challenge," says Alexander.

As fate would have it, he soon found a group that shared the same values of health and fitness he now lived. At this point, he had started walking in his neighbourhood of Paarl and used the popular Strava app to track his fitness goals. While on the app, he saw a post on the Paarl parkrun from Irene Muir, a Team Vitality champion. "That's how I got involved and committed to try to change things around," says Alexander.

Western Cape runners

When Alexander first joined the group, he was intimidated by what looked like an experienced group of runners. "It was a long shot, people I don't know doing many things different to me. However, desperate for change, I followed suit and signed up hoping the same outcome would come my way," he explains. The father of two was pleasantly surprised by the support and encouragement he received from the Western Cape Team Vitality running club. "So my first completed time was like almost an hour. I've brought it down; my personal best is now 37 minutes." Alexander has been committed to this new lifestyle and way of being. Since joining the team he has lost more than 20 kilograms.

"I've been with Discovery medical aid for many years, but never really thought of joining Vitality. I always struck it off saying I'll never really use the benefits; we never go to the movies. But you actually miss the whole point about it, the sense of community that is actually there to support you."

Becoming a champion

In a few years of joining the running club and through the dedication and embodiment of the club motto, 'No one gets left behind', Alexander has become a Team Vitality Champion. He is now responsible for encouraging new members who were once where he was. "To try and help others in the same scenario where I was. Even at my age - I'm 45 years old - it's never too late to start. If I can make a change in somebody's life, even if I can reach one person through my journey and my story, that's already a thumbs up for me."

Recently Alexander and his team members took part in the Western Cape's first Team Vitality Run. You can hear in his voice the pride he has in being part of the team, "I actually jogged the entire five kilometres so it's day and night from where I was to now.". The running group aims to meet up at least three times a week alternating between runs and hikes. They plan to enter all Western Cape Vitality Run Series races for the year, with two already under their belt.

A family affair

They always say that becoming healthier is a lifestyle. Alexander has truly encompassed that way of being, "I'm always trying to involve my wife and kids, they've also started joining in for the parkruns. And of course, being Discovery members, we also get a discount at Virgin Active, we've signed up as a family. My wife does at least two or three mornings in the gym, aerobics or aqua fitness," says Alexander.

"She had a back operation a couple of years ago so that low impact exercise actually helps her a lot," he adds.

You can catch Alex and our other Team Vitality champions at Team Vitality Zones across the country.