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This book began with a casual conversation with my mother in the spring of 2001. (Thanks, Mom.) At the time, she was coping with a torn rotator cuff, and she described her visits to a physical therapist. My mother is an outgoing and friendly woman, and, true to type, she’d developed a personal relationship with the therapist, who gave her individual attention and positive feedback.

As she discussed her exercises with me, I recognized how specific her descriptions were—comments such as “I like to know exactly what I’m doing,” “I like things spelled out,” and “I want to make sure that I’m doing it correctly” peppered her speech. These expressions were familiar to me from a lifetime of conversations with her.

Concrete details have always assured my mother and guided her decisions. Even today, whether talking about locking the door to her apartment when I leave or about using her washing machine, my mom always states and restates the steps I should follow. These instructions are often backed up with examples of some catastrophe that befell a neighbor or friend who was not careful. Is it is any wonder that for her, in the context of physical therapy and exercise, specific and safe procedures, as well as personal connections, are paramount?

As I began to connect my mother’s personality with her approach to exercise, I was curious about how she viewed other experiences with activity and sports over her lifetime. For many years, she played doubles tennis regularly. She spoke of loving the game, particularly the camaraderie with friends. Playing tennis was primarily a social activity, she said, not exercise. In addition, she and my dad played golf with friends, an activity she also described as social.

Shortly after these initial observations, I spoke with a close friend whose personality reminded me of my mother’s. Iris is a jazz singer and a music booking agent who equates physical exercise with suffering, something she must endure to mitigate her osteoporosis. Over lunch, Iris said that she’d recently joined a gym, which she noted was cleaner, smaller, and friendlier than her former gym. In describing the staff, Iris said, “They know me, really care, and treat me as an individual.” Her sense of personal connection reminded me of my mother’s response to trainers and teachers. Iris had high hopes that the new gym environment and friendly staff would increase her motivation to lift weights and continue to engage in aerobics.

I realized that my mother and Iris shared a set of Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI®) preferences. (I’ll discuss MBTI in Chapter One.) In the parlance of type, they’re both ESFJs. Their stories brought to mind another friend of the same type. Dee, an artist and professional game designer, rarely exercised at all until she reached her mid-forties, when she arranged to work with a personal trainer three mornings a week. The trainer (who quickly became a friend) designed Dee’s program and remained at her side the entire time, monitoring her weights, adjusting resistance levels on the treadmill and bike, and providing positive feedback. On a nice day, they would go for a walk together, chatting amiably.

I was intrigued by the patterns I saw in these women who shared ESFJ preferences for personal relationships with their trainers, step-by-step instructions, and assurances regarding safety and correct form. When I realized how alike they were, I decided to explore whether other types shared preferences in their approaches to exercise and physical fitness. Informally, I began questioning colleagues and friends who exercised regularly, and significant patterns emerged. In light of these patterns, I realized that comments in popular culture relating to exercise and personality didn’t necessarily ring true. The common advice seemed more like conjecture than solid information. Suggestions such as, “If you’re an Extravert, find an exercise buddy” didn’t hold up. What’s the function of an exercise buddy? Do all Extraverts want one? What about Introverts—could they benefit from having a buddy?

I searched for more information on the connection between personality type and physical exercise in the body of MBTI literature, as well as in popular books, but found little. That was more than six years ago. Since then, I have asked the question: How does the personality variable influence exercise patterns, approaches, and motivation? Why do some people engage in physical activity year after year while others, in spite of their best intentions, do not? During hundreds of interviews, I began learning how fit and physically active people of each of the sixteen MBTI types maintained their exercise program.

My investigations were based on the belief that a key to identifying sustainable exercise rests with understanding our natural energy and our preferences in terms of approach and motivation. Motivation to exercise can be complex and may include components such as culture, family, friends, finances, and health. It is not the intention of this book to reduce the complexity of exercise choices to one variable—rather, the element of personality is the focus of my work and the subject of this book.

The research for this book is based on hundreds of interviews, as well as self-reported data, addressing common aspects of physical exercise including motivation, approach, focus, preferred environments, interpersonal connections, and preferred coaching styles. I used a questionnaire designed in consultation with a professor who teaches research methods (see Fig. 2.1, p. 19). Subjects from each of the sixteen MBTI types came from all walks of life and various age groups. While my research was done primarily in the United States, respondents from Canada, England, Sweden, Egypt, and New Zealand participated.

I also learned from and relied upon self-completed questionnaires returned by visitors to my Web site (www.suzannebrue.com) as well as feedback from individuals who participated in my workshops or attended my presentations. In addition, I interviewed personal trainers, physical therapists, coaches, and a variety of medical professionals concerning their observations on patterns of exercise.

From my own experience, I recognize that physical activity has always been an easy element to include in my life—I typically exercise an hour a day, five or six days a week. I struggle with many things in life; I have never struggled with exercise. I started swimming laps in a pool in 1980 and have been physically active on a consistent basis ever since. It became a necessity, even with three young children and a busy work schedule.

I don’t believe I’m necessarily more motivated than non-exercisers. I believe I was fortunate to stumble on activities that worked with my personality, and I’ve enjoyed the benefits. Through my research I began to understand why that was. Now I want to share that understanding with you.

In retrospect, it’s not surprising that I picked up on my mother’s comments about her exercises. I had become fascinated with the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, which I used for over a decade in my work as a career counselor and Director of the Pre-Medical Advising Program at the University of Vermont. My mother’s comments sparked a new opportunity to combine a professional pursuit with my personal passion for fitness.

My intention in writing this book is to help people to understand their most effective approaches to physical exercise. I have chosen to ground this new application in a color framework that resonates with each type—thus The 8 Colors of Fitness program. It is designed to identify individual “exercise personalities,” and by doing so help people find ways to realistically and conveniently integrate exercise into their lives.

This continues to be a fascinating opportunity for me to work with the Jung/Myers model of personality type and to apply it to the study of physical activity and exercise choices. It is my hope that you, too, will find this information interesting and helpful as you search for ways to make regular physical activity a more natural part of your life.

Suzanne Brue
December, 2007
 
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