’ve been married for almost 15 years and my husband hates running and I love running. It was in February 2016 while we were in Essaouira in Morocco I started to run again. All four of us would go to the beach and my son and I would run while my daughter and husband would walk. Then one day Idris, my husband, said ‘I might start running.’ Inside my head I was going ‘whoop whoop!’ not realising that as he is a foot taller than me so we would not be able to run together unless I was able to do Olympic times! He says he doesn’t like running but now (October 2016) still does it three times a week, and if he misses it then he complains!

A couple of weeks ago Idris went out and bought a wire rope (specialist Reebok skipping rope to you and me!) and started skipping. I know that skipping is a very intense workout. Skipping burns 1,074 calories/hour and running at 8 miles an hour does the same! These are simple activities that cost nothing (except for the cost of trainers and a skipping rope). I have to say for a few days I thought ‘umm…. I’m not sure this is going to work.’ But then I decided to give it a go and I have to say just 3 days in I am converted. [Edit – one month of skipping and I still love it!]

You might be wondering what skipping has to do with the fight against diabetes? Let me tell you… (and as I go through this please take a moment to think if you are at risk of Type 2 diabetes as well. You might be surprised at how common it is and how easy it is to sort out). You can get a paper version of an assessment published by Diabetes.org here and an electronic version here to help you assess if you are at risk or not. The test is an awesome because it’s so simple. My risk factors are – age, genetics (ethnically Asian people are more likely to develop diabetes as they get older), gestational diabetes (had it with both my pregnancies), family history and to be honest being slightly overweight!

When I had gestational diabetes (this is basically when you have type 2 diabetes but only for the duration of a pregnancy) my doctors gave me a choice, and I had to beg for that choice! I either had to demonstrate that I could get the gestational diabetes under control by diet, or start taking medication. I do not like taking medication unnecessarily and I will go out of my way to do what is needed to avoid medicine. So I told them ‘challenge accepted.’ And thank God I was able to control my diabetes with diet alone! Ok, what I was eating was boring – I can remember weeks of dinners consisting of tinned tomatoes, boiled potatoes and fish fingers but who cares because I was not on medication.

This demonstrates that when the motivation is enough you can do anything. I have to say that I do appreciate that some people are unable to control their illnesses with lifestyle changes but I would ask ‘how hard have you tried?’ If you have given it your all, your best shot. OK, no problem, please take the medication, it is the right thing for you. But how many people are taking medication unnecessarily? And how much is it costing our personal health, as well as the health systems?

Recently there was a BBC TV programme aired in the UK called The Doctor Who Gave Up Drugs (sadly, only people in the UK can watch this]. Dr Chris van Tulleken, the presenter, takes over a doctor’s practice and supports the patients to come off medication. The show highlights the case of the 24-year old woman who had been taking antidepressants since she was 16- it was incredible – by starting exercise and increasing her natural positive hormones she was able to give up the drugs.

Let me say again, I am not advocating that you throw your medication in the bin but I’d love it if you make an appointment with your doctor and ask what is the alternative? What do I need to do to get off the medication?

Back to diabetes. Did you know that the majority of people who are on Type 2 Diabetes medication can actually come off it? Simplistically, the Huffington Post article cites the case of Phyllisa Deroza’s whose med-free life comes from three elements, the first two being a healthy diet and a rigorous exercise routine. The third involves going above and beyond the typical amount of glucose testing. It shows that there is a lot you can do to prevent Type 2 diabetes in the first place and my actions are as a result of the realisation that being in my 40’s this could be the last chance I get to make a huge impact in my health.

What you can do and where to start.

Decide to do something. I know it sounds both simple and complex but realise it is as easy as you want it to be. You just need to make the decision to do something.

Start something small. You know yourself better than I do. For me when I start exercising my diet starts to fix itself, for others they may need to be more deliberate about their diet first. To start you need to take one small step. I advise my clients who struggle with exercise to just start with putting on their trainers, from there come other actions and within a few days they are running. It. Is. Incredible!

Consistency is key. Whatever you are doing make it part of your routine, your daily and weekly rituals. Some people pray five times a day, others meditate for 20 minutes a day as part of their morning practice, you might go to work or take the kids to school every day. You have a routine, right? Make this part of your routine and make it real. Don’t just put it in your schedule and ignore it. You need to commit to make it consistent. My advice for exercise, is to do it first thing in the morning before getting caught up in the rest of the day’s events – which means you are more likely to find an excuse not to exercise.