Research in the 1950’s (and through the 1970’s) suggested that Type A personalities were more prone to stress and therefore heart-related diseases than Type B personalities.
Type A personalities traits: competitive, highly strung and continually strive to maximise productivity.
Type B personality traits: relaxed, laid back and less competitive.
Although in reality this is likely to be more of a Type A/Type B Continuum, most people fall on either side of the Type A/B divide.
But how does this effect our individual fitness success?
Type A in the fitness arena: Train hard, Train frequently, Eat strictly, Sleep little and relax infrequently.
Type B in the fitness arena: Eat healthily but not strictly, Train Light/Moderately, Train less frequently, Sleep well and relax often.
The perfect fitness combination: Train hard, Train less frequently, Eat strictly MOST of the time, Sleep well and relax often.
Advice for Type A’s-
Type A personalities are vulnerable to over training, under eating and stress disorders so could perhaps benefit from altering lifestyle habits to reduce stress and relax more like our Type B friends.
Maybe opting for the cinema over another gym session once in a while may actually be a good thing. Taking the foot off the accelerator on a regular basis may mean more sleep and relaxation to counterbalance a hectic lifestyle. Furthermore, increasing recovery time may also achieve a hormone/energy balance more conducive to muscle gain/fat loss.
Advice for Type B’s-
Type B personalities on the other hand are vulnerable to not training hard or often enough and perhaps being too relaxed diet-wise to achieve significant body change.Agreeing to set the alarm to get up with a friend for that run or doing a food plan at the start of each week may be the preparation that is needed for those body-changing healthy habits. Nothing worth having comes easy so making the effort when it really matters is what counts for Mr and Mrs Type B!
To conclude…
Being in balance makes us happy and healthier people. The better we are, the more we can enjoy life so it may be worth taking a step back from ourselves to acknowledge which of our personality traits help us towards specific goals and those which may require influence from our external environment.
“I learn what I am. I learn what I am not. I can see what I need and that which I cannot find in myself, I look for in you.”
