Exercise Compatibility

By Sabra Gardner

When it comes to exercise, to set yourself up for the best success for long term compliance, that means consistently moving as part of your lifestyle, the most important thing is that you find stuff you want to do. Want may not be the word you would currently use in describing exercise, so tolerate may be more appropriate. Ultimately enjoyment is what we’re going for; we want to find things you can do that are physically active AND enjoyable. If you can figure out the specifics of what, when and how you will be active and then do what you like, you are most likely to keep moving, and that’s what it’s all about!

The following 20 questions are designed to help you figure out the types of physical activity you are best and least suited for, in terms of overall compatibility. It is important that you know that exercise is NOT a one-size-fits-all thing. There is no universal prescription that works for everyone. If that was true, there would not be an epidemic of inactivity in this country, and “sedentary lifestyle” would be an antiquated term. Yet when you factor out the 15-20% of the population that are always going to exercise and the 15-20% that will never exercise, you are left with 60-70% of us that struggle to maintain a regular routine of physical activity. For us, myself included, each workout is a personal victory over inactivity because we’d simply rather not do it. Even knowing the importance and how much better it makes me feel on multiple levels, I too struggle to maintain consistency.

The 20 questions below will help you get to the root of what types of things you would most enjoy (feel free to print it out). It’s up to you once the questions are answered to interpret those and translate the answers into outcomes – the actual activities you will try and hopefully enjoy. Once you’ve completed the survey, set it aside. In a few hours or a few days take an objective look while you have a separate piece of paper and a pen. For each question, look at the answer and write down the specifics of your answer. For example, if you have friends that will support you in developing your exercise habit, list them; if you know what you would like to do, list it and if you don’t know what types of exercise you would like make a plan for what things you will try. No matter what happens, the key is to keep trying. Always keep trying and know that you can do it!

1. I know what types of exercise I like.    YES NO
2. I have no idea what types of exercise I like.   YES NO
3. I prefer group activities.     YES NO
4. I like a set schedule.      YES NO
5. I like direct instruction.     YES NO
6. I’d rather be independent.     YES NO
7. I want to exercise in the morning.    YES NO
8. I want to exercise in the afternoon.    YES NO
9. I want to exercise in the middle of the workday. YES NO
10. I don’t want to exercise at all.     YES NO
11. I like group classes.      YES NO
12. I like cardio equipment (treadmill, cycle, elliptical). YES NO
13. I like to strength train (lift weights).    YES NO
14. I don’t know what I like.     YES NO
15. I don’t like anything.      YES NO
16. I have tried at least 5 different kinds of exercise. YES NO
17. I want to feel like I worked hard after I’ve exercised. YES NO
18. I like to exercise but not feel like I’m exercising. YES NO
19. I have family/friends that will support me exercising. YES NO
20. I can/will set up a reward system for regular exercise. YES NO