00:00So in 2015, I was 130 kilograms. I was diagnosed as pre-diabetic.
00:05I realized at that moment that I needed to make drastic changes.
00:11I was minus three, 32 years old.
00:16And I was academically gifted. I got my doctorate.
00:21I found food as an excuse to eat whenever I want.
00:27You know, food's more accessible nowadays than it's ever been before.
00:32All types of different food as well.
00:34Being abroad as well, away from my family, studying,
00:38you know, I had this ability to eat whenever I wanted.
00:40The fridge was always there in front of me.
00:43And I knew I had a problem, but I wasn't willing to solve it.
00:46I feel like some people that face this road to diabetes and obesity
00:51are in denial sometimes.
00:54And they don't want to accept that drastic changes need to happen as soon as possible.
00:58And I had to wait the last second, obviously, to make these drastic changes.
01:03It was a slow, very composed process.
01:07It took three years.
01:08I never went to go see a doctor.
01:10I never went to see a nutritionist.
01:12I never had a coach.
01:14In fact, I created my own food program over 20 times
01:20until I realized that I should cut out meat and chicken, which I have for two years,
01:24until I realized that I should be eating more plant-based, 90% raw food.
01:28And until the day we speak today, I'm still learning about food.
01:31This is the most important thing I want to share is I'm a runner.
01:35I'm running 2,070 kilometers from Abu Dhabi to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, February 1st.
01:39I'm the first person to run from Fujairah to Abu Dhabi nonstop,
01:42which means I only slept for one hour in 15-minute intervals.
01:45I've run the distance from Dubai to Washington, D.C. in 2018, 10,450 kilometers.
01:52I've run it.
01:52I haven't run to D.C. because there's a sea,
01:54but I run the distance from Dubai to Washington, D.C.
01:57I only started running November 2017.
02:01So I was not a runner, but I hated running before.
02:04But I was trying to explain to the crowd that we have to get out of our comfort zones
02:10and we have to suffer a little bit to learn a lot about ourselves.
02:13And we won't learn anything about ourselves in our comfort zones.
02:17So, you know, whether it's learning a new language or whether it's,
02:21you know, learning how to do something that makes you feel uncomfortable,
02:24you'll learn a lot about yourself.
02:26And another thing I really want to share is before I take off is
02:30in preparation in anything we do in life is the most important thing.
02:33The end result is a celebration.
02:35I am prepared to run this distance in 10 days.
02:40When I reach Mecca, I will feel very satisfied.
02:44As a Muslim, reaching Mecca on my foot is something I can't compare.
02:48I get goosebumps thinking about it.
02:50But I'm very prepared to reach Mecca.
02:52So there's not going to be any, what do you say?
02:56There won't be any secrets.
02:58Or I felt everything.
02:59I felt the pain.
03:00I felt the suffering.
03:01I've been in difficult situations.
03:03I've run in different terrains.
03:05So this is my celebration.
03:06By the way, I'm flat footed on both feet.
03:08So you're not meant to be running when you're flat footed.
03:11I've seen a doctor eight months after I started running,
03:13and I have curves on my feet now.
03:15So I reversed my flat footedness as well, if you want to talk about it.
03:19I'm no longer diabetic.
03:22If you told me three years ago, I'd be speaking in the health forum.
03:25I tell you, you're crazy.
03:26All right.
03:27But this is the life we live in.
03:28You know, we live in a life where change can happen.
03:32I would definitely share my experience and tell people
03:36sometimes it's important to listen to others,
03:39but others will not understand what you're going through.
03:42It's a journey.
03:43What I've been through in three years is a journey that I shared in my book,
03:48which is coming out in English very soon, called The Secret Is There Is No Secret.
03:51But there will be a lot of naysayers telling you that what you're doing is insane
03:57or what you're doing is wrong.
03:58But it's really important to share your message with your community,
04:02wherever you are in the world.
04:03We live in a very safe and great country with great leadership that provide us everything.
04:08And His Excellency Saeed Harab just showed us the facilities available in Dubai, just Dubai,
04:15for people to go out and do whatever they want, whether it's walk or get on a bicycle.
04:20So it's very hard to find an excuse unless,
04:24you know, you're diagnosed from an early age with a severe case of obesity.
04:28It's very hard to say, I can't do it.
04:30I mean, my son, when he grows older and he tells me he's lazy,
04:35there's not a road on this country I haven't put my foot on.
04:38I've run on every highway you can think of.
04:41I've run in every street, every corner.
04:42So it's just trying to show a message that anything's possible.
04:46It has to be through hard work and determination
04:49and the will to always create bigger and better goals.
04:53I mean, this is life, right?
04:55Creating goals and achieving them.
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