Do you avoid exercise or embrace it?
Author: Shannon Miller Lifestyle
How you answer that question could be related to your personality.
But your traits and tendencies don’t have to dictate your activity level. Finding out what physical activities best suit you can motivate you to get moving.
An Exercise Prescription for Your Personality
A study in the Journal of Sport Behavior found that young women who were motivated to exercise regularly also tended to rate as extroverted, agreeable, and conscientious on personality scales.
If those terms don’t describe you, that doesn’t doom you to a life lived on the sofa. Here are some “personality prescriptions” that might help you start exercising and stay motivated.
If you’re …
Careful and cautious:
Choose low-risk activities that don’t require new skills
- walking
- stair-climbing
- jogging
Or take a class to help you learn new skills.
Adventurous:
Learn a new sport -try:
- skating
- dancing
- rock climbing
- skiing
Diligent:
- Put exercise on your calendar.
- Eat lunch while working so that you can take an hour for exercise.
Spontaneous:
- Make active choices throughout the day.
- Opt to walk instead of drive or take the stairs instead of the elevator.
- Visit a colleague’s office instead of sending e-mail.
Multi-tasker/stimulation-seeker:
- Watch TV or listen to a book or music on tape while you walk or pedal.
- Change the scenery by exercising outdoors.
- Mix up your activities: walk one day; swim the next.
Introverted:
- Plant a garden.
- Walk or run by yourself. When you need “company,” put on your earphones.
Extroverted:
- Work out with a buddy.
- Play a team sport.
- Take a dance or exercise class.
Remember, experts recommend being physically active for at least 30 minutes on most days of the week.
Courtesy of Baptist Health – Jacksonville, Florida