I listened to a podcast this week from Adam Meakins & Ben Cormack, two physios I really respect, discussing how important it is for us as physiotherapists to do our best to try and encourage people to move regularly. And that the biggest benefits tend to come from getting people going from doing no regular exercise to doing any regular exercise. At all. 5 minutes as opposed to 0 minutes. 

The podcast is here, if you want to listen. 

Alternatively search "NAF Physio podcast" and "Changing other people's behaviour towards exercise".

This resonated with me, as I think sometimes we can get too caught up on wanting to provide the ‘optimal’ plan for someone. 

I have been guilty of recommending the WHO exercise guidelines to people, not really realising that stating that their suggestion of 300 minutes of exercise a week is probably a total turn off for someone who is a complete beginner. 

They discussed the importance of having success with sticking to a plan, and not having any ill-effects form it (i.e. avoid doing something that will give you muscle pain afterwards if you are trying to get into the habit), as this tends to lead to positive feelings that make it easier to repeat again next time. (This makes sense to me too. I don’t mind having sore muscles because I know it goes away - but I realise people new to exercise think that this will happen every time they exercise & are too freaked out to continue.). 

They suggested aiming to get someone starting with a goal as small as 5 minutes a week. Or 5 minutes twice a week. And build up from there. Having a clear structure with goals they can tick off. 

This makes sense to me. As someone who is very goal-oriented myself, I get massive satisfaction from ticking off sessions in a structured training plan towards a goal, rather than just ‘exercising’. It makes sense that this is true for a lot of people!



My main tips for getting into a routine with exercise:

• Book it in at the start of your week, like you would a medical appointment 
• Find something you enjoy, or at least don’t hate
• Do it at a time that feels good for you (do not get up early to exercise if you hate getting up early!)
• Have very, VERY achievable goals, that are based on process, not outcome (i.e. “I will do go on my exercise bike for 5 minutes 2x this week”)
• Start VERY small. Build up once you have had success. Set goals based on what you can definitely achieve, not what you wish to achieve - that can come in time
• Social support - a friend doing it with you, or going to group classes - really helps