I’VE been struggling with a foot injury over the past few weeks.

This summer I’ve become a bit of a lazy runner, mainly so I could spend more time with my son, Harry. By that I mean I’ve succumbed to the temptation to quickly go for a run most nights so that I can get back home – and I’ve paid the price.

Basically, I’ve got an injury that could lead to a stress fracture in my foot that has been caused by the constant pounding of the streets a few too many times.

I noticed it about six weeks ago so I’ve stopped running and taken to my bike out more. But, because riding my bike takes about 90 minutes to get the same feeling as a 30 minute jog, I’ve had juggle my day somewhat to be still able to get to see Harry before bedtime.

And guess what? Because I’ve spent so much time in the sitting position and riding my bike every night, I’ve developed a lot of tension and discomfort in my shoulders. At the moment, my posture feels awkward and I’m even feeling a lot of stiffness in my lower back.

The moral of the story is this: If you run a lot, expect problems to surface somewhere like your foot or your shins. If you cycle a lot, shoulder and lower back problems will occur.

And it’s not just these two types of activities that come with risks. Take golf, for example. I see golfers in my clinic regularly and they nearly always come in with an Achilles tendon problem, or a lower back issue.

And what about if you play bowls? Well, a bad knee (or two) is very common. Hill or fell walking? Same as the golfers, lower back and Achilles injuries.

Even swimmers – the one activity you might think is risk free is going to cause physical problems with your shoulders and neck from the repetitive nature of arms swinging forward and your neck constantly held out of the water.

The solution? Read back to the beginning of the article and you’ll realise that the real cause of my issues was not caused by biking or running. They were caused by my insistence on not planning my day properly to find the time to vary my exercise.

At times, we’re all guilty of thinking that we don’t have the time to do things properly and will try and find a short cut to do it. But, isn’t it true that when pain strikes, all of a sudden it’s pretty easy to re-jig your day to find time to do the thing you should have been doing in the first place?