There seems to be a threshold effect in most people - either no exercise or too much. The main reasons exercise programs fail is because there is no clearly visualized goal (purpose) to the program, or because the exercise program is unsuitable.

Without a goal, any exercise program is likely to become perfunctory at best or a mechanical chore at worst. Either way, there is little incentive to continue and you increase your risk of injury. Even with the best of intentions, many break their routines after only a week or two and stop completely within 4 to 6 weeks.

Those of us who’ve suffered with neck or back problems are more motivated to continue, at least while the exercises seem to be fixing the problem. Unfortunately, ending the program when you get better is leaving the job only half done. Remember, it was the state of your back’s fitness before the injury that contributed to the problem in the first place.

It IS necessary to strengthen the body against the likelihood of a recurrence. If that’s what you’re after, I can tell you that you DON’T need a comprehensive gym training program, but you do need a number of strengthening exercises of the sort that can be done at home. The critical point is that you do need to DO them.

Most of us ‘weekend athletes’ who play sports like golf or tennis and who have a history of back or neck problems, will need a few additional exercises. Such activities have high demands on spinal extension-with-rotation and require strong waist and back muscles. Here, I would recommend you get advice from a good physiotherapist or Pilates trainer AND obtain your own copy of the two books I have already mentioned - preferably both if you can. I believe it will be one of the best investments you will ever make.

As mentioned previously, many people begin programs and give up after a short time. As well as embarking on programs that are unsuitable or too ambitious, some of these people drop out because they fail to take into account personal lifestyle factor. For example,it’s impossible to do your stretching with your 3 year old crawling all over you. It’s also very unlikely you will even feel like exercising after a 14-hour day at work. Part of the success of any exercise program is to choose the right time and the right location for your exercise and not to take on too much.