My father-in-law was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes three years ago. The doctor gave him two choices: start medication immediately, or try lifestyle changes first and see if that could bring his numbers down.
He chose lifestyle changes. Started walking every morning. Cut back on rice. Lost some weight.
Six months later, his blood sugar was in the normal range. Three years later, still no medication. His doctor calls him one of the rare success stories.
I think about that a lot. We spend so much money on treatments and medicines for diseases that might never have developed if we’d moved our bodies a little more. Exercise isn’t just about looking fit or losing weight. It’s actual medicine. The kind without side effects or monthly pharmacy bills.
Here’s what the research says about how moving your body can keep chronic diseases away.
Your Heart Needs You to Move
Heart disease is everywhere in Pakistan. It’s almost expected now that someone in every family is dealing with blood pressure issues, cholesterol problems, or worse. We’ve normalized it.
But it shouldn’t be normal. And a lot of it is preventable.
When you exercise regularly, your heart gets stronger. Like any muscle, it improves with use. A stronger heart pumps blood more efficiently, which means lower blood pressure and less strain on your cardiovascular system.
Exercise also changes your cholesterol profile. It raises the good kind (HDL) and helps lower the bad kind (LDL). This isn’t a marginal improvement; these are meaningful shifts that reduce your risk of heart attacks and strokes.
My chacha had a minor heart attack at 52. Nothing too serious, thankfully, but enough to scare him. The cardiologist told him to walk. That’s it. Walk every day. He’s been doing it religiously for four years now. His follow-up tests keep improving. He wishes someone had told him to do this twenty years earlier.
You don’t need to run marathons. A brisk walk counts. Cycling counts. Swimming counts. Just get your heart rate up regularly and keep doing it.
Diabetes Is Not Inevitable
Diabetes rates in Pakistan are climbing fast. It’s one of the highest in the world now. And we’ve started treating it like it’s just something that happens as you age. Like, there’s nothing you can do.
That’s not true.
Type 2 diabetes, the most common kind, is deeply connected to lifestyle. How much do you move? What you eat. How much excess weight do you carry? These are things you can influence.
Exercise makes your body better at using insulin. When you’re active, your muscles absorb glucose from your blood more effectively. Your blood sugar stays more stable. Your pancreas doesn’t have to work as hard.
I watched my father-in-law reverse his prediabetes through exercise. I’ve seen friends halt the progression of early diabetes by changing their habits. It’s not magic, it’s biology responding to how you treat your body.
Even if diabetes runs in your family, exercise dramatically lowers your risk. It’s not a guarantee, but it’s the closest thing to a guarantee you’ll find.
Bones Get Stronger When You Use Them
My grandmother broke her hip in her seventies. It changed everything. She went from independent to needing help with basic tasks almost overnight.
Hip fractures in the elderly are devastating. And often preventable.
Your bones respond to stress. Not mental stress, physical stress. When you do weight-bearing activities like walking, jogging, or lifting things, your bones sense the load and build themselves up to handle it. Stop moving, and they start to weaken.
Osteoporosis, that brittle bone condition, isn’t just an old person’s problem. It starts developing decades before it shows symptoms. What you do in your thirties and forties determines how strong your bones are in your sixties and seventies.
For people already dealing with joint issues, exercise still helps. Swimming and water exercises take the pressure off while still building strength. My phuphi has arthritis in her knees and started doing pool exercises at a local gym. Says the stiffness has improved more than with any medication.
The goal isn’t to become an athlete. It’s keeping your bones and joints functional so you can stay independent as you age.
Your Brain Benefits Too
This one doesn’t get talked about enough. Exercise isn’t just for your body. Your brain needs it.
When you exercise, your brain releases chemicals that make you feel better. Endorphins. Serotonin. The natural stuff that antidepressants try to replicate. That post-workout feeling isn’t imaginary; it’s chemistry.
I went through a really stressful period at work a few years ago. Couldn’t sleep. Anxious all the time. A friend suggested I start walking in the mornings before things got hectic.
It felt pointless at first. Like, how would walking help with work problems? But after a couple of weeks, I noticed I was handling stress better. The anxiety didn’t disappear, but it became more manageable. I could think more clearly.
Depression and anxiety are chronic conditions, too. And exercise has been shown to help with both. Not as a replacement for professional treatment when you need it, but as a powerful addition. Or sometimes enough on its own for milder cases.
In Pakistan, where stress levels are high and mental health resources are limited, this matters. A lot of people can’t access therapy or medication easily. But almost everyone can walk.
Making It Happen in Real Life
I know what you’re thinking. “This all sounds great, but when am I supposed to exercise?” Work, family, traffic, a hundred other priorities. I get it. Time is the one thing nobody has.
Here’s what helped me: start so small it feels almost pointless.
Ten minutes. That’s it. Ten minutes of walking. Anyone can find ten minutes. Wake up slightly earlier. Walk during lunch. Walk after dinner. It doesn’t have to be a big production.
Once ten minutes becomes easy, and it will, stretch it to fifteen. Then twenty. Before you know it, you’ve built a habit that doesn’t feel like a burden.
Pick something you don’t hate. If you despise running, don’t run. Walk. Swim. Dance in your living room. Play cricket with your kids. The best exercise is the one you’ll actually do, not the one some fitness influencer says is optimal.
Find the company if that helps. My neighbour and I walk together most evenings. The accountability keeps both of us showing up. Plus, the conversation makes the time pass quickly.
The goal isn’t perfection. Some weeks will be better than others. Life happens. What matters is getting back to it, not beating yourself up for missing a few days.
Listen to Your Body, Though
Movement is good. Pushing through pain is not.
If something hurts in a way that feels wrong, not the normal discomfort of muscles working, but actual sharp pain, stop. Rest. See someone if it doesn’t improve.
And if you have existing health conditions, heart problems, joint issues, anything significant- check with a doctor before starting a new exercise routine. You probably don’t need to avoid exercise entirely, but you might need to modify what you do.
Getting the Right Guidance
Sometimes you need more than general advice. Maybe you’re managing a chronic condition already and want to know what’s safe. Maybe you’re trying to prevent something that runs in your family. Maybe you just want a professional to tell you if you’re on the right track.
Marham can help with that. You can book online consultations with cardiologists, endocrinologists, physiotherapists, or whatever specialist you need. No traveling across the city. No waiting weeks for an appointment. Just a video call where you can ask your specific questions and get proper medical advice.
The combination of regular exercise and professional guidance is powerful. One without the other leaves gaps.
The Real Cost of Not Moving
Heart disease. Diabetes. Weak bones. Mental health struggles. These aren’t random misfortunes. For many people, they’re the predictable result of years of inactivity.
Exercise won’t guarantee you never get sick. Nothing will. But it dramatically shifts the odds in your favor. It’s one of the few things that affects multiple chronic diseases simultaneously, and it costs nothing.
Think of it this way: you’re going to spend time and money on your health one way or another. Either a little bit now, preventing problems. Or a lot more later, treating them.
My father-in-law chose prevention. Three years later, he’s still medication-free. That choice saved him money, side effects, and worry.
The choice is yours, too. Your body is waiting to see what you decide.
