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Enneagram Type 3 | 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. I get it. How on earth can a personality test mesh with a fitness journey?
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 motivators to propel you forward. In any area of your life.
Including fitness.
We all have different motives. Different things that drive us toward where we’re going. And figuring out what that thing is for 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. It’s gotta be rooted more deeply than that. A zap of inspiration, or a really rad motivational quote… 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 knowledge of your Enneagram type, to drive your weight-loss and fitness journey. For a glimpse at all the other types, head HERE.
But for this post, let’s focus specifically on Enneagram Type 3.
Enneagram Type 3: The Achiever
As an Enneagram Type 3, you’re a performer. And we’re not talking about on a stage. We’re talking about in your everyday life.
You’re known for success in whatever you pursue, and you can produce like non other. You’re amazing with checklists, and you’re motivated by completing each and every task at hand. You’ll conquer your goals brilliantly, and in a way that amazes the people around you.
Strengths For An Enneagram Type 3
Enneagram Type 3’s are built to achieve. You’re goal oriented, and you can easily slip into “just do it” mode. You can see the task at hand, use laser sharp focus, and complete every facet of that task beautifully.
You’re competitive with yourself and with others, and you thrive on positive feedback. You love to win, because winning affirms the hard work you put into whatever you do. You’re adaptable, and have a very high degree of emotional intelligence. People love you, and are amazed at all that you are able to accomplish.
Challenges For Enneagram An Type 3
Just as we all do, Type 3s have a few challenging traits as well. As amazing at you are at winning, you can take failure pretty hard. However, you are good at recovering from a hard fall.
Sometimes you can consciously or subconsciously slip into the mindset that I am what I do, so you can get confused on where your identity is derived from. And sometimes, you can focus so much on the task at hand, that you ignore your own feelings and needs in an effort to impress the people you care about or admire.
Weight-Loss Journey Roadblocks And How To Overcome Them
Weight loss is not 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.
It’s important to keep in mind that 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 the weight.
1. Too Focused On Completing The Tasks
Because you’re a checklist person, and very focused in completing tasks, you may become a little out of balance in this area of your fitness journey. Eager to crush your goals you may find yourself powering through, and just making it happen.
This can be a major positive in your weight-loss and fitness journey because it can push you through the more challenging moments of your pursuit. However, if you’re not careful, you may forget to practice mindfulness in your journey. This is a super important skill to master, as learning to listen to your body’s cues (for hunger, thirst, rest, etc…) can be a huge factor in longer-term success.
Completing your tasks (aka crushing your fitness goals) is important, and will be empowering to you and to others! But you’ll need something to sustain you once you’ve reached your finish line. This is where you need to practice listening to your body, paying attention to your needs, and learning mindfulness.
2. Identity
When you begin your weight-loss journey you’re likely excited and ready to conquer. But as an Enneagram Type 3 it’s possible that over time you’ll start to feel as though your weight-loss success is who you are.
This can be tricky for a few reasons. One, even if you lose every pound you want to, there will eventually come a time when you’re no longer losing any weight at all. At that point, where will you pull your self-worth from?
Two, any fitness journey will have highs and lows. You’ll go through waves where your focused, and things are coming easy for you. And you’ll go through times when it’s a struggle to get in a 30-minute, mild workout. During the harder times, it’ll become more important to focus on your health, and your deeper reason for why you’re doing this, than the fact that you’re “crushing it”.
Some days you’ll wake up, look in the mirror, and feel fit and healthy. Other days you’ll wake up feeling fluffy and tired. This is totally normal! However, this is also why it’s so important to remember that your worth and value are not determined by your weight or your weight-loss efforts in general.
3. Reverting Backwards Once Your Reach The Goal
If you’ve read this far, you know that as an Enneagram Type 3, you’re more than likely an awesome list-maker and list-completer. This is such an awesome trait. You’re astonishingly good at achieving.
So likely… you’re going to make it to your highest fitness goals if you remain focused and if it’s really important to you.
Here’s where I want to caution you about after you meet your goal. Once you do, you might ease up on yourself. This could mean that you revert back to your old (pre-pursuit) ways of doing things.
In essences… You’ve met the goal. You’re done.
But with any fitness journey, you’ve got to remember that you’ll always be on it. So you can set yourself up for success in two ways. One, you can make sure you choose a weight-loss plan of action that is doable long-term (we’ll talk about that below). No crash diets. Once a crash diet is “over” the weight will come right back on in the snap of a finger. And none of us wants that.
Two, you can decide to adopt new goals whenever you meet an old goal. Start a competition with yourself. It’s you versus yourself. What can you do to be stronger than you were six months ago. What can you do to run faster than you did in your last 5k race? How can you tighten up your eating so you feel better than you did last month? Have an ongoing competition with yourself, and watch yourself thrive like you never thought possible.
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.
Clear Expectations
When choosing a plan of action that works for you, you’ll want to find one that clearly defines all the expectations. This will make it easier for your checklist-wired mind to trudge forward and make it happen. This will ensure you’re aware of exactly what you need to do to meet your goals.
You don’t need to find something rigid and extreme. Just make sure you understand what guidelines you should follow, and then learn how to experiment to make it your own.
Mindfulness
As an Enneagram Type 3, you’re more likely to forget about listening to your body, and just do what you have to do to make your fitness goals come into fruition.
You’ll do yourself a favor, though, if you choose a plan of action that includes practicing mindfulness in your eating and exercise routine. This will help you to maximize your longer-term results so the weight doesn’t creep back on once you meet your goal.
A good mix of clear expectations and freedom to practice developing your mindfulness skills, is a great plan of action for an Enneagram 3.
Checklist Approach
Did I drink my water today? Did I include the four important elements in my meals today? Did I practice mindfulness today? Did I move my body for 20 minutes today?
These are checklist questions you can ask yourself daily.
When you’re looking for the right plan of action, choose one that you can develop your own checklist for. Whether it’s daily, or weekly, or whatever works for you. Having a measurable means for progress is a great idea for keeping you on track with your goals.
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 2
Your biggest motivators as an Enneagram Type 2 are performance and achievement. Both of these can be used strategically to motivate you toward your health and fitness goals.
Use your innate desire to achieve to propel you in your desire to accomplish your goals and dreams in your health and fitness journey. Map out the road to success, and make it a priority. Make your health a priority.
Determine your desired outcome, and then write down what your life will look like when that vision comes into fruition. Will you be able to enjoy your family more? Will you be able to participate in more physically demanding activities like mountain-climbing or riding a bike?
Then develop your drive to perform by adopting a me vs. me mindset. You’re not in competition with anyone (although a friendly competition wouldn’t hurt as an Enneagram Type 3). You can focus on developing your own physical fitness by pushing yourself to “win” against yourself. Are you stronger than last week? Are you eating better than you did a month ago? Is your endurance increasing?
It’s you versus yourself. So use that to push yourself to into your highest level or performance yet.
Know your level. Start where you’re at right now. You don’t have to compare your journey to anyone else’s. Just evaluate where you are, and then begin challenging yourself to make your health a priority.
