Fitness

 

 

 Is there such a thing as a fitness personality?  You would think that at our advanced age that we would know ourselves pretty well, but fitness level statistics are rather dismal so perhaps we don’t.

 

The summer Arthritis Today featured an article by Debra Shigley based on the book “The 8 Colors of Fitness,” by Suzanne Brue.  Color conscious people who liked the idea of basing make-up and wardrobe schemes on seasons of the year, shouldn’t find color coding their workout personalities much of a stretch.

 

I made the mistake of reading the results and assigning myself a color before taking the personality test, and that was a mistake.  At the moment I am trying to reconcile thinking I was a blue when the test results indicated that I was a white.  Not that this is a bad thing because it is reasonable to think you could lean in more than one direction.  Still, I am wondering if I was too thoughtful in my answers or if I don’t know myself as well as I think I do?  Should I take the test again or stick with what I know?

 

In this book the author assigns each personality type a color and creates a fitness workout tailored to meet individual interests. Hopefully, if you like what you are doing, you will do more of it.

 

If you are already a fitness buff you already know your workout preference, but if you haven’t found a routine that appeals to you this might give you a boost.  The most important part of any exercise program, whether you are doing it for rehabilitation purposes or to lose weight, is consistency.  At the very least you may find comfort in knowing that if you hate those rabid aerobics classes that it isn’t because something is wrong with you.  It just isn’t your thing.

 

Physical therapists seem to like this type of program because it helps them build on your natural tendencies.  If you aren’t going to work with them you are wasting their time as well as yours.  This makes sense to me because my husband has had a poster with low back exercises posted on the door for years, but he has never done them.  I, on the other hand, do a series of stretching exercises every morning using a technique called Oxycise.  Different personality profiles?  I think so. 

 

If you are an exercise wash-out, I think system can help you decide what kind of program is good for you.  Take the test first (you can find it on the www.ArthritisToday.org web site (type it in to the search box), rather than reading the results and thinking that you know what category you are in.