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Pune’s 71-year-old athlete proves age is just a number
Post the naturopathy course, not only was Rathi able to walk free, he also completed 71 rounds on his last birthday
Jugal Rathi, 71 an avid cyclist and runner is giving youngsters quarter his age, a tough competition. If this was not enough, Rathi recently received an award by the Kelkar Health Solutions’s Naturopathy Centre, for his phenomenal recovery from osteoarthritis (OA) and his dedication towards fitness.
“I was diagnosed by an orthopedician who told me that I would need an implant. He also told me I would never be able to walk again, which in turn meant I would have to put a stop to my entire sports regime”, said Rathi.
Rathi decided to give naturopathy a shot instead of going for an implant. He undertook a three month course which included diets and therapies. “I took the course from March to May in 2018. The diet mainly consisted of unprocessed foods. The general thought behind going for naturopathy for me was to improve my lifestyle but the only hesitation I had was that the course required me to stop my routine activities which included running and cycling for those three months” said Rathi.
“One of the reasons that pushed me to take the course was that my birthday was around the corner, in the month of June. Every year I challenge myself to take up birthday rounds, the same number as my age. Last year I wanted to complete 71 rounds. I usually take rounds of the Deccan Gymkhana ground however, due to my health I was not certain whether I would be able to complete the same,” added Rathi.
Post the naturopathy course, not only was Rathi able to walk free, he also completed 71 rounds on his last birthday. Rathi is a firm believer that leading an unhealthy lifestyle is the root cause behind various disorders people suffer from now days.
Rathi now believes that unity of disease and wrong lifestyle is the basic cause behind people suffering from lifestyle disorders. Post his recovery, Rathi successfully completed the half marathon in Mumbai this January, where he ran 21 km and came 6th in the 70 to 74 years of age category.
Besides being an avid runner, Rathi also founded Sajag Nagrik Manch for which he is also the convenor and managing director. A chartered accountant by profession, Rathi is also a member of Traffic advisory committee, Pune.
