Nudging a running injury away

I’m rather grumpy at the moment because I’m an injured runner. If you have ever had the misfortune of being an injured runner (or knowing an injured runner), you’ll know just how grumpy we can be! It’s not just us runners, the same goes for anyone who is injured in a way that stops them from doing something they love - it is frustrating and annoying and you can’t wait to be “fixed” so you can get back to doing what you love.

I’ve been on the injury bench pretty much since the start of the year. I tried all the normal tactics of trying to fix myself - keep running through it and it will go away (not a good idea!), run less but still keep running (not a much better idea!), rest entirely (a good idea but sadly still didn’t work), and when those failed I admitted defeat and got seen by a physio. The physio has diagnosed a weak glute and given me exercises to help strengthen it, and she is confident that it will fix my injury over time, with the exercises progressing in difficulty over the weeks.

So I have a potential solution to my problem, and I’m extremely motivated to get back to running (as are my kids as they don’t like grumpy Mum!). The combination of motivation to be running again and clear instructions on how to fix the problem should be enough to make me stick to the physio plan religiously…but sadly it's not been the case. It’s something we know all too well in the field of behavioural science - knowledge doesn’t always equal action. A great example is that we all know we should eat 5 pieces of fruit or veg a day, and yet evidence suggests just 33% of us actually hit this target.

So I have found myself having to practice what we preach here at Behaviour Change and deploy some behaviour change tactics on myself to try and get me to stick to the plan:

• By leaving the equipment (weights & resistance bands) in my living room it not only acts as a visual prompt, but it reduces the friction in getting going on the exercises - I don’t have to locate the items and so can get on with it quickly and easily
• Setting a daily reminder on my phone at 8pm as this is a time that I am usually at home and free to do my exercises, meaning I am being prompted at the right time and in the right place
• Telling my kids that I have got to get these exercises done means I have made a commitment that they are now upholding me to as well - they are also joining in on the sessions which helps to make the time go quicker and makes it fun
• Creating a chart to print and stick to my fridge to tick off when I do the exercises makes it salient
• Finally, I have set a goal for myself to do the exercises 3x a week. If I achieve that for the next month I will treat myself to the incentive of a new pair of running trainers - and we all know how much a runner loves new trainers!!!

Fingers crossed these self-imposed behavioural nudges have the desired effect. My kids will be delighted to be rid of grumpy mum and I’ll be delighted to be out in my new trainers!