What is Your Child’s Fitness Personality?

What do you get if you cross a fitness expert with a psychologist? You get the latest theory on the motivation to exercise: Fitness Personality. The theory is that your personality is one of the greatest factors in determining the best way for you to stay fit. If you're a thrill-seeker by nature, an exercise program consisting of treadmill walking and Pilates won't motivate you to get out of bed. If you're a social butterfly, tennis with friends sounds a lot more appealing than a solo bike ride. If you choose activities that best suit your personality, you'll be more motivated to continue exercising. In essence, you'll exercise because you want to, not because you have to.

Kids have a fitness personality, too. As parents and educators, it's our job to expose our kids to as many diverse exercise opportunities as possible. It's easier now than ever because there's been an explosion in the fitness field in the past twenty years. The definition of exercise has expanded to include inline skating, surfing, hip hop dance, yoga, skateboarding, rock climbing, a multitude of martial arts, and much more. Still, it can be tempting to try to steer your child towards team sports if that's what you enjoy. By the same measure, too many kids end up in a ballet class when all they really want to do is score goals. If you want your kids to develop a life-long love for exercise, start by helping them discover their fitness personality.

There are no scientifically defined fitness personality categories for kids. So I've devised the following categories based on years of working with kids of all ages. Here they are:

The Social Child: These kids will enjoy just about any activity or sport as long as their friends are participating with them. Providing exercise opportunities for these kids is easy in the beginning because they have so many friends. It gets trickier when they become teens and their friends' interests and schedules diversify. It's important then for the Social Child to bond with at least one friend in a shared activity.

Suggestions for the Social Child: Team sports (not highly competitive), dance class, skateboarding or biking with a friend

The Introspective Child: Some kids are happiest spending time alone. The goal is to make sure at least some of that time is spent exercising. Many introspective kids thrive athletically by competing against themselves. After discovering their favorite sport or activity, self-monitoring their progress in an exercise journal will help them stay motivated. Today's tech savvy kids may want to use a computer program to track their workouts or clip on a pedometer to track their steps.

Suggestions for the Introspective Child: Jogging, yoga, swimming, jumping rope, shooting hoops, working out to an exercise dvd

The Outdoorsy Child: When these kids discover their favorite outdoor activity, they often become consumed by it. Whether it's surfing, mountain biking, or something else done outside, they'll want to learn everything there is about it and inevitably, buy all the required gear. It's exciting to see these kids so enthusiastically engaged in such a healthy outlet, but it can get expensive.

Suggestions for the Outdoorsy Child: Rock climbing, hiking, surfing, snow boarding, mountain biking

The Musical Child: Scientists have discovered that music can play a large role in determining how often and how intensely a person exercises. We all know kids love music; but for some, music is what actually motivates them to move. I know there are some kids who attend my classes in large part solely for the music. I don't take it personally-I fall into this category, too. For these kids, the type of activity doesn't matter as much as the music that accompanies it. Today's MP3 technology makes it easy for kids to create their very own workout playlist.

Suggestions for the Musical Child: Dance class, dancing at home, just about anything where headphones can be worn (For safety reasons, kids should never exercise outdoors alone while wearing headphones.)

The Competitive Child: Kids in this category thrive on the mere possibility of victory. A tough verbal scolding from a disappointed coach only makes them try harder in the future. Their drive to succeed is innate. Team sports are an obvious choice for these kids, but many competitive kids aren't necessarily social. They may be more motivated by activities where they can compete solo against other competitors.

Suggestions for the Competitive Child: Team sports, competitive martial arts, gymnastics, or ice skating

Most young children get enough exercise by simply playing. As children get older, lack of motivation can become a challenge. Choosing activities that best suit your child's personality could be the key to helping them develop a life-long love for exercise.

You can e-mail your questions and comments on The Fit Family to Kristen@healthnews.com or leave a comment in the section below.