“Ohmigod, you HAVE to come to my boxing/CrossFit/barre class — you’ll love it!” your friend says. Her enthusiasm is contagious and she has been looking extra toned lately, so you agree to give it a go. But within minutes, you’re looking at the clock and contemplating faking an emergency so you can go home.
Sound familiar? Yep, it happens to the best of us! The truth of the matter is, no one type of exercise is right for everyone. But once you find one you genuinely enjoy, finding the motivation to work out is a helluva lot easier! The good news is, if you haven’t found yours yet, there’s now a simple quiz you can take to help you figure it out.
Balance Magazine has created an eight-question quiz which helps you determine which style of fitness is best suited to your personality. You simply tally up your answers and see whether you got mostly As, Bs, Cs or Ds. You can do the quiz below:
1. What are your main fitness goals?
A. To enjoy using my body and boost some feel good hormones.
B. Improve my muscle mass and change the shape of my body.
C. Put myself to the test while getting fit in the most efficient way possible.
D. To beat stress and improve my mental outlook.
2. How much money could you spend on monthly fitness?
A. As little as possible.
B. The cost of 3-5 weekly coffees.
C. The cost of 10 weekly coffees.
D. The cost of 20 weekly coffees.
3. How much time could you devote to exercise each week?
A. No more than 2-3 hours.
B. 3-4 hours.
C. 4-5 hours.
D. I can’t tell how much free time I have from one week to the next.
4. What do you think is the biggest factor stopping you exercising?
A. Boredom and lack of motivation.
B. The lack of a definitive end goal.
C. An injury from over-exuberant training.
D. Work or family life not allowing enough ‘me-time’.
5. How well do you accept and want instruction?
A. I prefer to chart my own course.
B. I like to be shown once then go my own way.
C. I prefer to be coached if possible.
D. I want to be given expert instruction detail.
6. How social are you, on a scale of one to 10 (where 10 is life and soul of the party)?
A. 1-3
B. 4-5
C. 8-10
D. 6-7
7. How important is your sports performance relative to your training?
A. Not that important.
B. It’s a big factor.
C. Occasionally I factor it in.
D. I don’t play sports.
8. How competitive are you?
A. I’m not into competition at all.
B. I prefer competing against myself.
C. I need to win at all costs.
D. I try to avoid it because it’s bad for my mental wellbeing.
Flick through to find your answer!
Mostly As
Structured exercise is vital to you but enjoyment needs to be the key factor. Balance magazine recommend exercising outdoors, whether that’s running, cycling or power walking in your local park. The magazine recommends writing a list of workouts you’d love to try, sticking it to your fridge and trialling a new one each month.
Mostly Bs
Anyone who answered mostly Bs prefers working out alone, rather than in a group class. Because you relish alone time, hit the gym and follow a personalised, structured routine. The most important factor? Exercise in short sessions, which can burn more calories.
Mostly Cs
People who answer mostly Cs are fans of seeing results – and fast. The magazine cites Crossfit as the perfect workout for these types of people because the combination of gymnastics and intense cardio tones your entire body in record time. The magazine recommends trying different versions of exercises and encourages you to revamp the structure of your routine every six weeks.
Mostly Ds
People who answered mostly Ds are highly emotional but cannot separate their emotion from their workout, leading to burnout. Balance magazine suggest a yoga class as the perfect form of exercise to improve your mood whilst toning your body.
Balance Magazine via Daily Mail
