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Enneagram Type 1 | Drive Your Fitness Journey
How Your Personality Type Can Drive Your Weight-loss Success
There’s a good chance you’re reading this article with some skepticism. Enneagram and Fitness? How do those mesh?!
I get it.
That’s exactly what my hubby asked me as I rambled on and on about this a few weeks ago. I assured him, though, that given the information of someone’s Enneagram personality type, I could help them nail down their individual motivators for weight loss and overall fitness.
The fact of the matter is that the Enneagram has little to do with our actions, and much to do with our motivation for those actions. That’s why it’s hard to nail down someone else’s enneagram type. Because you can’t say for sure why they do what they do. But when you learn your own motivators, you can use those to propel you forward. In any area of your life.
Including fitness.
We all have different things that drive us. So figuring out what drives you, is vital in your fitness journey.
Throughout my own massive weight-loss and health journey, I’ve lost a whopping 160 pounds. I know, crazy right?! But here’s the deal.
Most people are tempted to look at my before-and-after snapshot and assume it was a quick fix or the perfect crash diet that led me to that pic on the right.
But that’s so. so wrong.
In actuality, it all had to do with an underlying why.
A motivator.
For me, it was because I was 336 pounds and absolutely miserable inside and out. That led me to complete desperation. Desperation became my why, and that led me to my weight-loss pursuit.
If you ask anyone who has lost a significant amount of weight, what made them lose all that weight, you’ll get all sorts of different answers.
But every single person has a motivator.
One of the biggest challenges people have, when I ask my clients, friends, and family? Lack of motivation. Can’t stick to it for the long haul.
But a burst of motivation won’t do it. Nor will a cutsie quote. It’s gotta be rooted more deeply than that. A zap of inspiration, or a really rad fad diet… not gonna cut it.
BUT… If you can dig a little deeper and find what truly motivates you, at your core, then you’re golden.
Not sure what the Enneagram is? It’s an in-depth set of personality types that is [ancient] years old. If you’ve never determined your Enneagram type, take the test HERE. I do not receive a commission from this. I just love the enneagram. 😉
What Motivates You At Your Core?
When looking at the Enneagram, you can journey toward discovering what motivates you, but it’s not just designed for fitness or weight loss. It’s much MUCH more encompassing than that. You can use it to help you in virtually any area of your life. Your marriage, your career, your parenting… It’s such an incredibly in-depth tool.
But for the sake of not making this blog post fifty-thousand years long, we’re going to zero in on how you can use the knowledge about your Enneagram type to drive your weight-loss and/or fitness journey. For a glimpse at all the other types, head HERE.
But for this post, let’s focus specifically on Enneagram Type 1.
Enneagram Type 1: The Perfectionist
If you’re an enneagram type one, you have an underlying desire to make things as good, right, and correct as they can possibly be. You’re a reformer. An idealist. You’re excellent at leading by example, and you’ve got an eye for how things can be better.
Strengths For An Enneagram Type 1
Enneagram type 1s are always doing the best they possibly can. They want to improve things, within themselves and within organizations they’re a part of. Or really just within anything. They’re great at noticing what needs adjusting, and they’re not afraid to step up to the plate and make that happen.
Type 1s produce good, high-quality work. They’re detailed. They’re responsible, fair, honest, and can plan and organize with the best of them. They can find an error in a newspaper print a mile away, which explains why editing and making things better is a strong suit.
Challenges For Enneagram An Type 1
Just as we all do, Enneagram Type 1s have some challenges within their personality type. At times they might get a little too engulfed into the details, so much so that they don’t get much done. Type 1s can become consumed with their inner critic; This can be criticism of themselves, or others.
Sometimes when working on a project, they might become focused on getting it just right, and then fail to reach that complete-and-move-on point. Type 1s like to know expectations very clearly, and when they’re not certain about the expectations, they can become overwhelmed.
Weight-Loss Journey Roadblocks And How To Overcome Them
Weight loss is not always easy. Each of us has specific roadblocks that tend to derail us more frequently than not. So let’s take a solid look at three of the main hindrances for weight-loss for Enneagram Type 1s.
Just to be clear, in this blog post we’re not talking about roadblocks like how dairy affects you or whether you should go gluten-free. We’re talking more about the internal side of things here. You can visit some of my other blog posts for practical ideas on how to lose weight.
1. Expecting Perfection From Yourself
Because you’re hyper vigilant when it comes to things being correct, you might find yourself being a little too hard on yourself when it comes to your weight-loss journey. You may rarely allow yourself to give-in to a tempting treat, or to a much-needed rest day.
Diligence is key when it comes to weight-loss, but it’s better for you to focus on consistency, rather than perfection.
Focusing on getting it right every single time will get exhausting, and that will make you more stressed in your fitness journey. Stress is the enemy of weight-loss. So when we’re stressed, our bodies produce a fight-or-flight hormone called cortisol. And cortisol can cause us to hold onto, or even gain weight.
So learning how to go a little easier on yourself, while still being consistent in your eating and exercise patterns, will help you tremendously as a Type 1. Try focusing on the 80/20 rule when you notice you’re too wrapped up in trying to be perfect. This means eating “on plan” 80% of the time, and “off plan” about 20% of the time.
This is how you’ll learn balance, which is a major key in long-term success with weight loss.
2. Negative Self Talk
While you’re strong at finding the thing that needs fixing, and asserting yourself accordingly, you can sometimes get inside your own head. Your tendency to find what’s not quite right, can sometimes cross over into being overly critical.
When it comes to a weight-loss journey, there must be a mental shift. If you’re always telling yourself you can’t… well… then you probably can’t lose the weight. But the great news is that you can change your thought patterns with a little extra effort.
If you’ve got a mental real that repeatedly reminds you of what you didn’t get right, how you messed up, or what you shouldn’t have done/eaten/etc, then you won’t be abel to maintain the positive attitude that will drive you to keep going and to make success.
The truth of the mater is that any health journey requires balance. There will be highs, lows, ups, downs… And you’ll need to learn to embrace those. Accept the hiccup, and move on without being so hard on yourself.
The great news is that changing your inner voice, is totally doable. And not as hard as you might thing. You just have to make a decision to do so. The biggest piece of advice I can give to you, is to start catching any negative thought you have about yourself, your abilities, or your progress. Picture your hand reaching up and catching it. Yep, that’s what I want you to do.
Catch the thought, stop it, and replace it with a positive one.
The more you do this, the more empowering your thought life will become!
3. Overwhelm
Maybe you have ten pounds to lose. Maybe you have 150. Either way, it can be overwhelming. As a Type 1, you’re good at taking a solid look at the whole picture, including every single detail.
The challenge with this is that it can get overwhelming to think about what it will take to accomplish this goal that seems so massive.
To counteract this, focus on one day at a time. Finish out that day. Tomorrow you can worry about tomorrow. Tomorrow you’ll have what you need for tomorrow. But today, you have what it takes to conquer today. Take it one day a a time.
Think this is impossible? My entire weight-loss journey happened by my decision to focus on just one day at a time.
Another way you can conquer the overwhelm is to make mini goals. Instead of waiting until you’ve reached the finish line, go ahead and make smaller milestones to celebrate. This will propel you forward and keep you moving without feeling like you want to quit.
How To Choose A Fitness Plan
There are so. many. options. *insert facepalm here*
Seriously if I get another crash diet flashed across my screen I’m gonna scream.
Here’s the deal. I may be completely bias, but I am so against dieting. There’s a ton of research that shows that restricting your food intake and jus general “dieting” in general does more harm than good, and I can totally relate.
But that doesn’t mean that weight-loss can’t be an option for you. What it means is that you don’t have to torture yourself into losing weight. Instead, you need to find a plan that works for you. One that is doable, and balanced, HEALTHY, and enjoyable. Sound crazy? I’m sure! The diet industry wants to scare you into weight-loss. But not this girl. Nope.
Trustworthy
As a Type 1, you’re moved by honesty. So finding a plan that you feel is trustworthy is the first step. You need to steer clear of fad diets, or lose-ten-pounds-next-week promises. Instead, you need to choose a plan that will allow you to live your life, learn balance, and keep going after the excitement wears off.
Detailed
In true Type 1 fashion, you’ll succeed most when you’re very clear of the expectations. This means you need to know the details. Just wingin’ it may not be helpful to you, as it allows too much gray area. Instead, you’ll thrive more when you can read through all the ins and outs, before getting stared.
Balanced
Once you’re sifted through all the ins and outs for your fitness plan, get started. Here’s where you’ll need to practice balance. A plan that allows you to utilize detailed instruction right up front, will help you learn what to do. As you learn how to implement the details, you can then ease up your grip, and learn how to understand your body’s cues, and listen to them.
Choose A Plan Of Action Not A Diet
Steer clear of crash diets. Seriously. Run the other direction. If you need some help with weight loss without the rigidity of a hardcore diet, try my six-week weight-loss program. You’ll get all the details and expectations in a simplified way, and then you’ll learn how to balance it all out so you can live your life while making progress toward the healthiest you yet.
Key Motivator For Enneagram Type 1
As an Enneagram type 1, you’re motivated by improvement. So tap into that, and lean into the possibilities of how you can improve your health and fitness. Allow yourself to evaluate all the details and expectations, and then go ahead and just start.
Remember, you’re not doing this to appease anyone else, or because anyone else wants you to. You’re doing this for you. Not so you can be skinny. Not so you can see a certain number on the scale. Not so you can wear a certain size. Your motive runs so much deeper than that.
It’s all about the life you can live as you improve how you feel physically, emotionally, and mentally.
Think of how you can enjoy your life, carry out your calling, and enjoy the people you love, as you improve your overall health. That is what actually matters.
Be ok with the 80/20 rule. Stay diligent 80% of the time, but allow yourself some freedom during the other 20%. This allows you to enjoy special memory-making moments like getting ice cream with your kiddos, or having a date night with your spouse.
You’re wired to succeed, so tap into your strengths and your biggest motivators, and get moving! The healthiest version of YOU awaits.
