Why Forming New Healthy Habits Can Be Challenging: The Role of Your Personality Tendency - What's Your Tendency?

Understanding Habits

Habits are automatic behaviors that we develop over time, often without conscious thought. They play a crucial role in shaping our daily routines and overall lifestyle. Understanding how habits work can help us cultivate positive changes and break negative patterns.

The Four Tendencies

Gretchen Rubin, in her book "The Four Tendencies," categorizes people into four distinct personality types based on how they respond to expectations. These tendencies can influence our habits and behaviors significantly.

1. Upholders

Upholders meet both outer expectations (like deadlines) and inner expectations (like personal goals). They are disciplined and often find it easy to form good habits.

2. Questioners

Questioners meet outer expectations only if they make sense to them. They tend to analyze rules and processes, which can lead them to create personalized habits that align with their values.

3. Obligers

Obligers meet outer expectations but struggle with inner expectations. They often rely on external accountability to maintain habits, making it crucial for them to have support from others.

4. Rebels

Rebels resist both outer and inner expectations. They value freedom and authenticity, which can make it challenging for them to adhere to habits unless they align with their personal desires.

Are you an obliger? An upholder? A questioner? Or a rebel?!

Which of these four tendencies do you relate to?

If you wake up & think: ‘What’s on my schedule and to-do list for today?’ You believe that it’s just as important to keep promises to yourself as promises to others. And you can meet self-imposed deadlines. You are probably an Upholder.

You are motivated by reason, logic, & fairness. You wake up & think: ‘What needs to get done today & why?’ You are most likely a Questioner.

You are motivated by external accountability. You wake up & think: ‘What MUST I do today?’ You get frustrated by the fact that you make time for other people’s priorities, but struggle to make time for your own. You are probably an Obliger.

You place a high value on authenticity & self-determination. You wake up thinking: ‘What do I want to do today?’ If someone asks or tells you to do something & you often have the impulse to refuse, you most likely are a Rebel.

If you are an Upholder or a Rebel… you are the minority of the population. Most people tend to fall into the tendency patterns of either a questioner or an obliger.

I, myself, am an upholder with some rebel tendencies on occasion.

Applying the Four Tendencies to Habits:

What does your tendency type have to do with forming new health & fitness habits?

When trying to form a new healthy habit, we naturally set expectations for ourselves. Therefore, we must understand how we respond to expectations.

Recognizing your tendency can help you develop strategies to build and maintain habits effectively:

• Upholders: Create structured routines and set clear goals.

• Questioners: Research and understand the reasons behind habits to stay motivated.

• Obligers: Seek accountability partners or join groups for support.

• Rebels: Focus on intrinsic motivation and choose habits that resonate with your values.

  
  

As an upholder, if I put my workout on my to-do list it will most likely get done! I love checking things off my list.

Questioners… you need to remind yourself why it’s important to do your workout & eat well. Remind yourself of the many benefits in forming a new habit.

Grab an accountability partner for best results if you are an obliger. Having another relying on you to show up will keep you going.

Rebels… if YOU are the one to come up with the habit & the plan to follow it… you will most likely stick to it… unless you no longer see a benefit.

Though we all usually fall under one of the tendencies most often, we can also be a mix.

Regardless of your tendency, forming new habits, especially when it comes to your health & fitness is always a challenge.

How to form a new habit:

There are many habit strategies to employ when forming a new habit. But knowing which strategies will work best & when to use them is where a habit expert can help you reach your health & fitness goals with more ease.

Having an MS degree & many years of coaching experience, I have helped many clients build heathy habits.

At H3 Fitness, we go beyond a diet & fitness plan… As a Certified Behavior Change Specialist & an Upholder who loves habits, I thrive on teaching my clients simple sustainable habit strategies that they can use throughout their health & fitness journey, while creating a new healthy lifestyle.

If you struggle with forming new healthy habits & would benefit from having an accountability partner, H3 is here to help.

Get started today. Schedule your FREE Initial Fitness Consult. Submit our Contact Form.

Let’s do this!

XO,

Stacy

H3 Fitness

Healthy. Happy. Habits.