Suzanne Brue of Delray Beach, Fla., could tell right away this was not going to work. She was watching a physical therapist work with her mother, who was rehabilitating a torn rotator cuff. Her mom is the type of person who likes instructions with very specific detail. The physical therapist, however, was giving her mom very general directions – and her mom was not “getting” it.
Brue advised the therapist how to better connect with her mom: Focus on only one movement at a time, show her the correct form and don’t give her choices. The suggestions clicked. “My mom’s face instantly relaxed,” says Brue.
Brue is a former college administrator who had for decades studied psychological type and used personality tests to advise students on their careers. Having seen how simple changes in approach made such a difference in her mom’s exercise experience, she wondered if such a tool might help people find the right exercise that fits their personality. Maybe her mom and the therapist’s ultimate “meeting of the minds,” Brue thought, had something to do with their personality types, as determined by the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), a widely used instrument used to identify distinct personality types.
A lifelong exerciser, Brue was also curious about why she herself was drawn to certain physical activities, such as swimming laps, but not others. Brue began interviewing and surveying hundreds of people that regularly exercised, and discovered that individuals’ exercise preferences correlated directly with their MBTI types. Her six years of research led to her book, The 8 Colors of Fitness (Oakledge Press, 2008).
In her book, Brue summarizes workout preferences reported by people from each MBTI type, and assigns each type one of eight color-coded “fitness personalities.” The goal, Brue says, is to help readers figure out their exercise likes and dislikes and, ultimately, stay motivated for fitness.
Learn your fitness type: Take the quiz
To use Brue’s “8 Colors” system, users must first learn their MBTI types by taking her mini-MBTI test in the book or online.
Click here to take the 8 Colors Quiz.
How do you find out what this means? Thank you.
I am looking forward to reading your book. I was just wondering if it includes any information on an exercise program for persons like me........I have, in the past five years, gone thru three major surgeries.
I have had Spinal Stenosis, Fuson in my back, leaving me with two permanent screws in my spinal column, and a knee surgery for a torn miniscus.....also arthritis in my knee (now taking cortisone shots (as needed in my knee.)
I have been advised to stop using my treadmill and to switch to my recumbant bike.
Does that mean I should not use walking as an exercise?
I am looking forward to an exercise program but I am afraid. If I do anything to damage my back or my legs..I am in irreversable trouble.
I thank you in advance for any suggestions you have for me.
Marilyn Ryback
Have taken the detailed Myers-Briggs in the past...
This came up w/ the same answer - split between INTP and INFP!
I was then pointed toward an article to read, clicked on that link and was back at site where test was started.
How do I find which color I am and what that color means?
Thanks.
Years ago I tested as an ENFP with extreme scores on each variable. I was always a compulsive exerciser and now have little energy/motivation to be consistent with anything but my water aerobics.... and that's not as consistent as I need to be.
Pat
Thanks for any imput you make have for specific exercises you might suggest.
I looked directly at infp and I agreed to the best exercise for me.
Thanks,
Cherie
The "Click here to take the 8 Colors Quiz" text is in blue type.
I took your questionnaire and got the right result, although of course I knew which answers to give to get it.
It would be interesting, then, to know how many of your readers who complete your questionnaire get results that are compatible with their personality types, and how many get skewed results that prevent them from identifying exercise programs that are appropriate for their true personality types.
The best results come from the use of the best tools, the MBTI questionnaire administered by a qualified person.
People should know that there is a difference between informal assessments like the one in this article and the real MBTI which is supported by extensive research showing its reliability and validity. The real thing can only be administered by people who have received training approved by the publisher.
The results of any paper and pencil personality questionnaire, including the official MBTI, should be taken as information which needs to be tested against what you know about yourself and whether the results ring true for you. If someone has you fill out the official MBTI and then sits you down and tells you, "Guess what -- you're an ENFJ" (or whatever) they're not using the MBTI the way it's supposed to be used.
That being said, the questionnaire in the article looked pretty good as informal questionnaires of this kind go. It gave me the right results and the suggestions made sense. I thought it was interesting that Zumba was recommended for my wife, who is an ENFP (silver). She likes Zumba. I don't. I'm an ENFJ (purple) We both laughed when we saw this.
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