If-then plans

How do if-then plans help with barriers?

If-then plans help by settling your response to a barrier before it turns up, so you have less to decide in the moment. An if-then plan links a situation you expect (“If it’s raining…”) to a response you choose (“…then I’ll walk indoors”). Picking the situation ahead of time makes it easier to notice when it happens, and the action tends to follow with less effort².

Plans tend to help most if you already want to be active and feel confident that you can be. Results for physical activity vary, so a plan suits some people better than others¹. Think of it as a small tool, not a test of willpower.

To use one:

• Pick one or two barriers you know get in your way, such as bad weather, a busy day or feeling tired.
• Write each as a plan: “If it’s raining, then I’ll walk indoors for 10 minutes.” Keep it specific and small.
• Start from where you are now, and don’t set the target too high.

What are implementation intentions?

An implementation intention is another name for an if-then plan. It says when, where and how you’ll act, in the form “If (situation) arises, then I will (response)”³. A goal intention only says what you want, such as “I want to exercise regularly”. The if-then version adds a situation you can spot and a response to it².

That extra detail is aimed at the gap between meaning to be active and actually doing it. For people who want to be active and feel confident, it can help turn that intention into action, and it is a low-cost technique¹. Make the situation something you can spot, and the action something small.

For the “how” part, it helps to have ideas ready. These are ways to add steps through a day³:

• Park further away.
• Walk to a colleague’s office instead of phoning.
• Take the stairs instead of the elevator.
• Walk to get coffee in another building.

Use any of these as the “then” in your own plan.

How do you plan around obstacles before they happen?

You name the barriers you expect and decide in advance what you’ll do about each one, often as an if-then plan^4,5. This is often called coping planning: choosing other ways to be active so a barrier doesn’t end your activity for the day⁴.

How to do it:

• List the two or three things most likely to stop you, such as rain, a busy day, tiredness or a sore knee.
• Give each its own plan. For example: “If work runs late, then I’ll walk at lunch tomorrow.”
• Make your backup a smaller version of the activity, so it’s easy to do.
• Look at your plans from time to time and change any that aren’t working.

A short exercise of about 8 minutes, where you name your own barriers and make a plan for each, tends to bring a small increase in active minutes⁵. The effect is modest, so see it as one helpful step rather than a fix.

Adding backup plans to a plan for when and where you’ll be active isn’t clearly better than the when-and-where plan alone⁴. A simple way to choose: start with the when-and-where plan, then add a backup for any barrier that keeps catching you out.

When to check with a health professional

If you’re starting exercise after a long break, it’s always a good idea to see your doctor first. For an injury or a health condition, see a health professional, such as your doctor or a physio.

If illness or a flare-up of a condition has interrupted your activity, restart from your current level and build up gradually. If symptoms persist or get worse, see a doctor or other health professional.

A temporary rise in aches or tiredness is common when starting something new, until your body adapts, so build up gradually. For a sore muscle or joint, ease off, and get advice if it persists⁶.

Call your local emergency number for chest pain or pressure (or pain spreading to the arm, neck, jaw or back, especially with sweating or feeling sick), severe breathlessness, fainting or collapse, signs of a stroke, a serious injury, or someone who isn’t safe.

If you have unusual tiredness, get it checked by a doctor⁶.