I spoke to a gym manager recently who explained that his gym usually gets busy towards the end of January, not at the start of the month as you might expect? He believed the delay was for two reasons: first, people need time to get organised after Christmas, including sorting out finances; and second, people still have a fridge full of ‘cheese’ that they feel obliged to eat before fully committing to a new fitness regime—an all-or-nothing approach!
His opinion was also backed up by scientific data, as both income and environment (too much cheese?) are predictors of exercise adherence.
By analysing data on exercise adherence for injury recovery and pain management, we can learn some helpful techniques to support our patients in sticking to their fitness and weight-loss goals.
A list of factors known to influence exercise adherence is shown below:
· The suitability of the exercise programme for the patient’s physical ability
· The suitability of the exercise programme for the patient’s lifestyle
· Your qualifications, skills, and ability to build trust with the patient
· Perceived barriers to exercise, typically including time and access to facilities
· The patient’s self-belief in their ability to achieve success
· Perceived pain intensity and meaning
· Sociodemographic variables, such as age, number of dependents, income, and working conditions, to name but a few
· Previous adherence history
· Intrinsic and extrinsic motivating factors
· Social support
· Specific pathologies
· Environmental factors, such as the weather and access to suitable resources
So that’s quite a few things, then?
Yes, it is—but in my experience, one of the reasons people struggle to make meaningful, long-term changes to their health is because they haven’t considered any of those factors.
Once they have, I would then suggest they consider the acronym PIE and choose something that is Purposeful, Impactful, and Enjoyable in either its process or completion.
Adherence Barriers
Many people start an exercise plan with good intentions, only to find that they struggle to adhere to the initial plan. These barriers can be categorised into barriers related to frequency and barriers related to duration.
The frequency of engagement may be reduced by factors including lack of time, lack of money, family commitments, and other life goals that do not prioritise dealing with the issue at hand.
The second measure of adherence focuses on the duration of any given session and the ability to complete a planned session. This is most often limited by physical symptoms such as pain, clicking joints, clunking tendons, throbbing muscles, and all of those physical oddities that cause concern when exercising. As therapists, we often find ourselves assessing and advising on these common symptoms and may utilise tools such as RockTape to help keep our patients active during recovery.
Top Tips for Good Exercise Adherence
1. Supervised exercise is superior to self-managed exercise—or try to do both.
2. Your relationship with the patient, and their belief in you, is more important than the specific exercises you provide.
3. Have an alternative plan for days when pain hinders progress or motivation is low.
Here are three of the most common taping techniques to reduce pain and keep you moving:
Content adapted from the book: Exercise For Pain Relief: The Hidden Truth - Mechanisms, Strategies and Remedies for Professionals by Daniel Lawrence (RockTape Education Director)
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