You have the best of intentions. You've got a goal, you genuinely want to do what it takes to get there, and you're at the end of another day having forgotten to do your rehab. Again.

I've been there too. I was seeing a podiatrist for a while and kept forgetting his rehab for a full month. I had to show up to my next appointment knowing full well I'd done nothing, which is particularly embarrassing when helping people do their rehab is literally your job.

If you're an active person, a runner, hiker, cyclist or gym-goer, skipping rehab probably isn't about laziness. It's about the fact that rehab doesn't feel like the thing you actually want to be doing. It doesn't give you the same hit as a trail run or a hard session. It doesn't feel like progress.

Here's how to get it done anyway.

1. Attach it to another habit that you do every day

Warm cup of coffee with the words "go get em" on the cup

My coffee addiction is strong. Anything I attach to making coffee is guaranteed to happen.

For a while I was working on shoulder mobility. Every time the kettle boiled I did 10 shoulder pass-overs with a broomstick stored next to the kettle for exactly that purpose. After a week of daily work my shoulders felt noticeably better.

Find your equivalent. It doesn't have to be coffee. It just has to be something you do without thinking every single day.

2. Keep your equipment where you'll actually use it

If that broomstick had been in a cupboard at the other end of the house it would never have happened. Every extra step between you and your rehab is friction, and friction kills habits.

This might look like resistance bands next to your desk, a foam roller beside the couch, or a small corner of a room where your equipment lives permanently. The goal is zero friction between the thought and the action.

Dad doing a plank exercise while his cute daughter watches

3. Habit Stack

This is a more intentional version of the coffee trick. You're essentially building a rehab routine inside the gaps of things you're already doing.

Kettle boiling: one set. Coffee brewing: another set. Waiting for it to cool: a different exercise. After you finish: one more thing. That's 15 to 20 minutes of rehab done inside a routine you were already going to have.

Other combinations that work well for active people:

Balance exercises while brushing your teeth
Calf raises while cooking dinner
Hip mobility while your GPS watch finds a signal before a run
Neck rehab while your work computer boots up

The combinations are endless because they're designed to fit your life, not a generic schedule.

4. Set a reminder, but be honest about whether it'll work for you

A view over the shoulder of a man looking at his mobile phone screen

Sometimes when patients are having trouble remembering to do their rehab, I ask them to create a reminder in their phone then and there. If I don't they inevitably forget once they leave the clinic and the cycle continues.

This one doesn't work for everyone- I've become a master of ignoring the million notifications that my phone gives me. The more notifications, alerts and reminders a person has, the less effective this will be.

Computer and phone apps like Randomly Remind Me (Google Play) and Awareness (Free for Mac or Windows) are great tools to help you move more but can also be used as a reminder to do some specific movement or rehab if that's what you need.

5. Make it a non-negotiable before the thing you actually want to do

If you're having trouble running because of an injury but you're probably going to run anyway, make it a rule that you're not allowed to go for a run unless you do your rehab first.

This one takes self discipline and motivation which is harder to rely on than habit creation. But if running is your habit anyway and you're not allowed to do it until you do your rehab, then you're habit stacking regardless. The discipline becomes the important part here, if this is your chosen method, don't put it off until later.

If you're rehabbing a running injury but you're going to run anyway, make a rule: no run until the rehab is done. This takes more discipline than habit-building, but if running is already your non-negotiable then you're habit stacking regardless. The rehab just becomes the entry fee.

The key is not letting yourself negotiate with "I'll do it after." After never comes.

6. Treat rehab as part of your training, not separate from it

This is a mindset shift that makes a real difference for active people. Rehab isn't the annoying thing getting in the way of training. It often is the training, at least for now.

If you can't find time to add rehab in, take 15 minutes off a run and use it instead. A lot of injuries exist because of muscle imbalances, overuse patterns or mobility deficits that need ongoing management. Building that maintenance work into your training plan permanently is what keeps you doing the things you love for longer.

Prehab is a far better use of 15 minutes than sitting out another six weeks.

7. Make it part of your identity

There's a big difference between the mindset of "I have to do my rehab today" and "I'm someone who does daily rehab."

As James Clear in Atomic Habits writes: “Research has shown that once a person believes in a particular aspect of their identity, they are more likely to act in alignment with that belief.”

Each time you perform an action you are casting a vote for your identity, you are becoming that person. Habit stacking, habit tracking, accountability- these are all tools that help prove to you that you are a person who does a particular thing. Reverse engineering it to deciding that you are that person already and acting accordingly will get you there even faster.

"I am a runner who does rehab/prehab"
"I'm someone who likes to stretch after a run"
"I'm the kind of runner who does strength work as well as running"
"I also do an off bike warm up before going mountain biking"

You're not trying to build a habit. You're deciding who you are and then acting like that person.

8. Something is better than nothing. (AKA- if it’s worth doing, it’s worth half doing)

A person having their hip stretched by their physio

When you're struggling to get into the habit of doing rehab, doing even the smallest amount is better than nothing at all.

It's also a great place to build from. Maybe this week you did it once, which is better than nothing. Next week aim for twice. Making the lowest barrier to success possible and build on it.

This one is particularly for all those recovering perfections in the room. I know you because I am you.

I used aim for the stars- I'm going to do my rehab every single day and I'll do it so well and I'll get better immediately and everything will be great!

When you're doing something new like building a new habit, it rarely works out this way. If I aim for 5 sessions a week and forget 3 days in a row, it's now an impossible target to meet. If I lower my definition of success to 1 session a week, that's better than nothing. If I do that session at the start of the week I'm into extra credit territory. The sheer endorphin hit of early success makes me want to do more and doing more makes me feel even better! It doesn't always work like that and sometimes hitting that lower marker of success is all I manage but that's still OK because it's better than nothing!

If it’s worth doing, it’s worth half doing: If it’s worth trying to do it to perfection, it’s worth doing a little bit of it too until you nail the habit.

9. Get an accountability buddy

Ideally someone who does your sport and gets it. Bonus points if they're going through their own rehab journey as they probably need the same support.

Some ways this could play out:

agree to check in weekly and ask about progress
watch our for activities on Strava, when you put an activity up ask each other if you did rehab first
use an app like Supporti which links you up with another member or StickK where you have to actually pay a financial price if you don't stay on track with what you're trying to achieve

10. Track it visually

A person filling in a health questionnaire

Never break the chain!

A calendar on the fridge with an X through each day you've done your rehab is surprisingly motivating.

There's something about not wanting to break the chain that works even when nothing else does. Any habit tracking app will do the same thing if you prefer your phone.

11. Understand why it actually matters

As Simon Sinek Says, Start With Why.

And then go a bit deeper.

Why are you doing these specific rehab exercises?

Understand what the point of it is helps you to be motivated to do it. If it feels pointless or a waste of time you won't want to invest the time in it.

Will calf raises help your leg strength so you can run?

Why do you want to run?

What does running give you that want or need in your life? You're not doing your calf exercises so you can run, you're doing your calf exercises so you can run for your physical health, your mental health, the fun of being outside with friends, to keep a chronic illness at bay...

You're never just doing your calf exercises for stronger legs and it helps to understand the deeper motivation behind it, as well as the more superficial reasons for each exercise you're doing.

Behaviour change is hard. Doing your rehab consistently is genuinely one of the harder parts of recovery, not because the exercises are difficult, but because building new habits takes time and self-compassion.

Start small, be kind to yourself about it, and remember that one session is always better than none.

If you need help putting together a rehab or prehab plan that actually fits your life and keeps you doing what you love, you can book with Adventure Physio in Jandakot here.