Program Recap: The 8 Colors of Fitness

Our September program featured Suzanne Brue with a new twist on Type. You'd probably guess that the different Types approach exercise in very different ways. But this meeting provided the opportunity to discover just how different we can be. 

From one SJ/Blue's comment about exercising, "It never occurred to me that fun could enter into it", to an SP/Green's "I like the surprise around the corner and like to adapt to it", we spent three hours learning and talking about physical activity, fitness, and Type. 

We started with an overview presentation covering the eight colors and their general motivations. Then, after the break, we moved on to a fun and interactive discussion with Q&A and a panel composed of BAAPT members representing five of the eight colors (Saffron, White, Blue, Silver, and Green). When our Blue representative described how she plans her exercising, the Green panel member responded, "[that] routine sounds horrible!"

{{Laughter}}

One interesting discussion among the attendees focused on tracking apps (e.g. FitBit). Several people use one, but they do so in very different ways. Some people like to chart their progress;  some just look at the results. Some people compete with themselves (e.g. "If I only have 9500 steps, I feel like I need to walk before bed to get it to 10,000"). One woman likes the community and team aspects of her app ("We get points. You build islands, add trees...")

Suzanne Brue began her journey into connecting Type and Fitness nearly 15 years ago, when her mother was undergoing physical therapy for an injury. Suzanne writes, "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..." 

After talking to various colleagues and friends, Suzanne created a questionnaire. Her research is based on hundreds of interviews and self-reported data "addressing common aspects of physical exercises including motivation, approach, focus, preferred environments, interpersonal connections, and preferred coaching styles." The result of that research is The 8 Colors of Fitness program (and associated book and workbook).

Did you know that:

• Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida has adopted the 8 Colors of Fitness program statewide.
• For Blues, completion motivation is stronger than exercise motivation (it's more important to keep their commitment to themselves than it is to actually exercise).
• Reds talk about 'training', not about 'exercise'. Training has a goal; exercise seems to be never ending.
  
• Silvers set up external accountability structures and define exercise as 'something that happens while you're doing something else'.
• Whites and Purples want to be comfortable in their environment, with exercise they don't need to think about.

What color are you?

Watch Suzanne's videos on YouTube.
Take the quiz and learn your color.