What Is Your Fitness Personality?
By BCC Tatiana Kaletsch. Posted on .
Pretty much all of us know, or can quickly find out, what is the ‘best’ way to lose weight and get in shape. We’ll know it is going to be about eating less and moving more, keeping a positive attitude, fostering endurance, making lifestyle changes, and setting goals. We walk past the newsstands and read the headlines of the glossy magazines with hard-to-believe title covers such as ‘lose 10 pounds in one week with this little known method…..’
The reason that many diets fail is that we see the diet as something being administered from without, a foreign element in one’s life, an unwelcome guest. It can seem as uncomfortable as wearing a knight’s full armor all day long - something you’d endure if you had to (but want to get rid of as soon as possible).
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This mindset is that where we are now is a ‘wrong’ place, where we want to go will make everything all better, AND the road to get there is strange and unwanted. But what if you could design a unique diet and fitness program that matched your personality, one that reflected your deepest values, your true character? Studies have shown that linking your diet to your innermost values and truer sense of self will be much more powerful when that extra cupcake comes around.
How You Can Use Your Character As The Starting Place
The examples below will help you to identify patterns of your own, finding a diet that starts from within, not from without. What are some ideas that you can gather about yourself and use as a foundation for wellness?
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The Social Butterfly: You love being with people at work and at home. You are open, communicative, and love large groups and gatherings. Your diet and fitness routine will work best if you join forces with others, for example online forums, a community center, dieting with several friends, or a Weight Watchers group. Sports would be group activity such as mall walking, buddy-workouts , community work on weekends. As long as a friend is waiting for you, you’ll be out the door with no trouble at all.
The Competitor: Nothing much motivates you without a chance of winning something. You wake up at the thought of conquering your opponent, beating your former record, and documenting your successes. In sports, you might find that tennis or training to run a marathon might suit you well. If you are not able to do strenuous sports, you might find that coaching a local little league team gets you outdoors and motivated. Indoor community sports such as basketball or racquetball would make you forget all about burning calories! A competitive diet should be avoided in favor of healthy choices, but involving others in your quest for the best might work out well.
