How yoga, trail running and a vegan diet changed Hongkonger’s life – and cured her underactive thyroid
After moving to Hong Kong five years ago, Silke Bender from Germany gave up her job as a management consultant to focus on improving her health
In 2015, Silke Bender gave up her job as a management consultant to fulfil a lifelong dream to pursue sport, nutrition and health.
She became a yogi specialising in teaching yoga to athletes and runners, a side business she had been nurturing for some time. The German native incorporated her passion for trail running by organising yoga-plus-running camps.
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Bender also became a professional runner, and a regular top finisher at races in the region. At The Northface 100 50km race in Thailand in 2016, she met her goal of blowing through 50km under six hours, having crossed the finish line as the second-placed female.
Other accolades include winning the 12km Hysan Trail Run in Hong Kong last year, and the 9km CSfit Bonaqua Action Sprint Repulse Bay, also in Hong Kong.
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Another memorable race was the 2017 Yading Vertical Kilometre in Sichuan, China, a high-altitude race that takes runners from 3,800 metres to 5,000 metres amid glacial lakes and snow-capped ranges, where she placed second in the women’s field for the 7km event.
For ethical reasons, Bender also converted to veganism in 2015. As her exploration into plant-based foods progressed, she learned of the work of Michael Greger, an advocate of a plant-based, whole food diet and author of How Not to Die, who espouses lifestyle changes to combat common ailments.
