The purpose of this quiz is to help you determine if focusing on this area of your health is right for this season of your life. One of the hardest questions clients have tried to answer is “how do I determine what to start with?” because when it comes to getting healthier, there is so much to consider which makes it so easy to become overwhelmed and even start to shut down (and risk never starting at all!) I have come up with a series of questions to answer that will help you decide if exercise, nutrition, maintenance or stress management is the right focus for your current season of life. We’ll use a “red light, green light!” method to determine if that specific focus is where your focus could or should be.  Lots of “green lights” means go for it! Lots of “red lights” means you might want to consider starting somewhere else. And if you get a mix of both, you can choose whether you want to start there or maybe focus on something else. I advise you to pay attention to any feelings of overwhelm and indecisiveness because this can be an indication that you may not feel confident enough yet to tackle that focus. If you are truly unsure of how you want to answer, ditch it and move onto a different focus questionnaire; you may not even be in the headspace to address this area of your health right now and that’s okay!

 

How to score each focus season quiz: 

1 or 2 “Green Lights” = not a recommended focus to start with.

3 “Green Lights” = this is a possible focus to start with. 

4 or 5 “Green Lights” = this is a great focus to start with.

 

You can always take another quiz to see if it scores more green lights. If another quiz scores more, start with that one and place this season as the “runner up” focus (the next one you’ll tackle!)

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Question 1: What will this require of me?

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A commitment to being active. A season of maintenance typically fits a period of time where you are unable to commit to getting in consistent workouts. It’s important to recognize that very few people exercise the same way all year. At some point, a life event or a change in priorities will ask you to change the way you exercise and you’ll need to know how to maintain the results you’ve achieved from online fitness programs, attending group fitness classes, working with a trainer or going to a fitness center. You will need to be active daily in some way and find a resistance training program that you can realistically do 3 times a week. 

• Red light (I can’t see myself currently committing to this)

• Green light (I can handle this) 

 

Regular meal planning. The fastest way to undo any weight loss success is to stop meal planning. Without regular meal planning, you will find too many opportunities to rely on convenience for your nutrition. This typically results in eating out too frequently, grabbing pre-packaged convenience foods and missing out on key nutrients that keep you healthy. Planning meals should happen regularly monthly, bi-weekly, weekly or even twice a week, whichever is most helpful for your schedule.

• Red light (I can’t see myself currently committing to this)

• Green light (I can handle this) 

 

Regular grocery shopping. Similarly to meal planning, missing your regular grocery shopping day, whether you shop in person or online, is a fast track to poor nutrition habits. In order to maintain your current weight and health, you will need to consistently have a well-stocked kitchen to avoid depending on quick-fixes. Healthy choices should always be at your fingertips and easily accessible. Since eating fresh produce is the best way to have great nutrition, weekly grocery shopping is recommended, however frozen is the next best option and a great solution if you need to shop less frequently. Regardless of  which you choose, regular grocery shopping is necessary for maintenance. 

• Red light (I can’t see myself currently committing to this)

• Green light (I can handle this) 

 

A commitment to creating habit stacks. Habit stacks are small bunches of daily habits that help you automate your healthy habits. You create these through trial and error; once you have one that works, you implement it daily. Usually they are 3-5 activities like brushing your teeth, packing a lunch and setting out something for dinner that can be done in a specific sequence to help you maintain the habits you acquired in different seasons. This will require a little time for planning ahead and some commitment to observation so you can become great in your routines. 

• Red light (I can’t see myself currently committing to this)

• Green light (I can handle this) 

 

Question 2: How realistic is this time commitment in my life right now?

• Red light (I can’t see myself currently committing to this)

• Green light (I can handle this) 

 

Question 3: On a scale of 1-4 (1 being most important, 4 being least important), how important is achieving success in this area of life to me?

• 1-2: Red light (I can’t see myself currently committing to this)

• 3-4: Green light (I can handle this) 

 

Question 4: Am I ready to dedicate 12 weeks to this being my new focus? 

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Maintaining your progress from any previous season should feel like a reprieve compared to the other 3 seasons because you can create rhythms that work with your schedule. If you find that your current responsibilities as it pertains to the needs of your family, career or any other commitment that’s important to you are higher priorities than health improvement then embrace it and allow yourself to settle into maintenance for the next 12 weeks or as long as it serves you. You may find that you are ready to start a new season sooner or you may need more time. Your success in this focus will largely depend on the habits and routines you create and the commitment you keep to planning your weeks and staying active. 

• Red light (I can’t see myself currently committing to this)

• Green light (I can handle this) 

 

Question 5: Can I financially afford to invest in the help and support I’ll need to accomplish this well?

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Seasons of maintenance don’t require much financially. The best investment you can make in this season is in an accountability partner. You may find any other associated costs is from investing in things that improve your accountability and the efficiency in your routines such as how and where you exercise, meal prep containers, wearable fitness trackers and ways to remind yourself to do things (such as an Amazon echo, or apps). Investing in healthy prepared meals or someone that can help with house cleaning or home improvement projects can also be a cost to consider if your maintenance season is a result of a dependent needing more of your time and attention. 

• Red light (I can’t see myself currently committing to this)

• Green light (I can handle this) 

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So, is this the right time in your life for you to focus on exercise? If yes, then click here to learn more about our personal training services. If “no”, then go to one of the other focus questionnaires to determine where to start. Each questionnaire contains the same questions with details as to how it pertains to either exercise, nutrition, and stress management.