Not Doing Your Exercises? The Problem Might Be That You Can’t See Them

Adam Russell Director & Principal Sports & Exercise Physiotherapist

As a sports and exercise physiotherapist, I rarely hear patients say they don’t believe in their exercises.

What I hear instead is things like "I just forget. ”I remember once I’m already in bed. ”It slips my mind during the day.”

That’s not laziness. Most of the time, it’s simply poor visibility.

One of the most helpful ideas I’ve come across for improving exercise consistency comes from James Clear’s book Atomic Habits. He explains that the first step to building any habit is simple. Make it obvious.

If your exercises are out of sight, they’re very easy to forget.

Why Knowing What to Do Isn’t Enough

From a clinical perspective, this matters because rehab exercises are usually short, low effort, and not physically hard to do.

The challenge is rarely capability. The challenge is cueing.

Our brains run on prompts. If there’s no clear trigger to remind you to do something, the habit never fires. This is why so many home exercise programs fall apart.

The exercise sheet ends up in a drawer. The app notification gets ignored. The equipment stays hidden in a cupboard.

No cue usually means no action.

Make the Right Behaviour the Easy Choice

One of the core ideas in Atomic Habits is designing your environment so the behaviour you want becomes the default.

Instead of relying on memory or motivation, you create visual cues that prompt action automatically. From a physio’s point of view, this is one of the most effective and underused tools for improving exercise adherence.

Simple Ways to Make Your Exercises Obvious

Here are a few practical ways I often suggest patients try.

Leave your exercise sheet somewhere you’ll see it, like the kitchen bench. Keep resistance bands on the couch or near the TV. Lean your foam roller against the wall instead of putting it away.

If you see it, you’re far more likely to use it. If you have to go looking for it, the habit is already in trouble.

You can also tie exercises to a specific location. For example, balance exercises in the bathroom, shoulder exercises in the kitchen, or floor exercises next to the bed. When the location is consistent, the cue becomes automatic.

Anchoring exercises to a clear time of day can also help. This might be after breakfast, before your evening shower, when you get home from work, or before sitting down to watch TV. The clearer the cue, the less mental effort required.

Even your phone can be used as a visual trigger rather than just a reminder. Some people set their lock screen to their exercise list, pin their exercise app to their home screen, or leave a sticky note on their phone charger that says, “Exercises first”.

Another simple trick that works surprisingly well is laying out your exercise clothes or equipment ahead of time. When your environment signals what’s coming next, your brain is far more likely to follow through.

Consistency Beats Perfection

In the clinic, I often say that if doing your exercises requires effort before you even start, we’ve already made it too hard.

Your environment should do more of the work than your willpower.

You don’t need more motivation or discipline. You need clearer cues and a setup that works with your brain, not against it.

The patients who improve the fastest aren’t the ones who try harder. They’re the ones who make their exercises difficult to ignore.

The Takeaway

If you’re struggling to stay consistent with your exercises, don’t ask why you can’t stick to it.

Ask how you can make it more obvious.

Small changes to your environment can lead to big changes in behaviour. And when the cue is clear, the habit tends to follow.

If you’d like help setting up your exercises in a way that fits your routine, that’s something we’re always happy to work through with you.

Exercise adherence, rehabilitation education, physiotherapy and recovery support at PRP Health in Victoria Point with Adam Russell, Director and Sports and Exercise Physiotherapist.