The whiteboard pictured above made its appearance at this year’s American Translators Association conference, and it kept us entertained all weekend long:

My dog usually walks me three times a day #LifeAsAFreelance #DOGtool https://t.co/XMG5YfrNtN

— Transcripsi (@Transcripsi) October 25, 2018

Mi héroe es el/la que puso crying and breaking things https://t.co/8YB6Hi3lwH

— Evelyn Antelo (@eveantelo) October 25, 2018

As you can see, a lot of us weighed in. There are many gems in there–I’m partial to the one about running from court to jail and back–but the whole thing got me thinking about how this is a really important question. How do we stay healthy and manage our stress?

The number of serious responses both on the whiteboard and on Twitter clue us in to the fact that exercise really does work:

My productivity definitely went up when my physical therapy started including regular exercise. The time it takes us much less than the time gained through the increased energy. https://t.co/hheiMvadeH

— Ada Palmer (@Ada_Palmer) October 25, 2018

We’re all different, but we all need to get this whole fitness thing done somehow. So I figured I’d share the set of tools I personally use to get the job done. Here we go…

Exerciser, Know Thyself

I know plenty of people who do self-directed exercise, or YouTube videos, or couch to 5k… none of which is for me. The best exercise, as they say, is the exercise you’ll actually do, and that depends on your personality and your needs.

Gretchen Rubin divides the motivational aspects of personality into her “Four Tendencies“. Since I’m what she calls a “Rebel,” a lot of advice doesn’t work for me. I’m always on the alert for Rebel-friendly solutions that I can adapt. My sister, whom I suspect of being a Questioner with a dash of Rebel, has a completely different exercise routine and philosophy that works for her.

To break that into concrete terms: the moment someone tells me I “should” do something, I typically don’t want to do it–even if that someone is me. So typically an exercise or diet strategy works best for me if it’s either (a) not a “should” or (b) an effective means of rebelling against something else. If someone told me I’d never be able to lift 200 pounds, that would be the best possible way to motivate me to weight-lift. As my minion at Funimation says, my greatest allies are my enemies. Meanwhile, my sister got motivated to exercise by examining the science from different angles, experimenting with different things, watching her resting heart rate results with her FitBit Alta (the measurable improvement was both powerfully motivating and a compelling proof of concept to her scientist mind) and analyzing what would be most sustainable in the long-term. Since she’s a mom of a toddler, she’s also modeling good behavior to her child, which was added motivation. Again, it’s all about personality and what’s motivating to us as individuals.

Then, of course, there’s the budget consideration. For some of us a studio membership is affordable, and for others it’s not.

Personally, I’ve found that a combination of identity strategy and convenience strategy works best so far, and that the best way for me to make those work while also getting a safe workout is with very special types of studio memberships.

Studio Pros and Cons, Plus My Strategies

The two studios I belong to are Sunstone, a yoga-focused brick and mortar chain based in Texas, and VFit, an online studio with classes you can attend from anywhere. At the time of this writing, VFit is offering a free one-week pass for you to try out its services, so if you’re interested, you can go see if it’s for you. Tell ’em I sent you. ;)

You may be thinking, why studios? You probably know the counterarguments: you have to pay a monthly fee, you have to get there, a lot of people pay but then don’t show up, etc. Those disadvantages are all real. There are some really powerful advantages, though: if it’s a good studio that invests in properly trained instructors, then you are going to have a safer experience than you might get on your own, because they can see you doing each move and correct you if you’re doing anything dangerous. That’s a good thing for beginners and for people like me, who have some chronic back and hip problems. The instructors can also offer tailored advice if you want to improve in a specific area, or if you tell them something doesn’t feel right.

Why these particular studios, and what’s my strategy?

The first and foremost consideration at any exercise studio is the quality of the instructors and the philosophy of the studio. So it’s important to check that out, do a trial period, ask questions and leave any studio you don’t feel good about ASAP. I chose to stick with Sunstone after my trial period many years ago because in their yoga classes, they emphasize not taking your flexibility further than your strength can sustain, which is a healthy injury-prevention philosophy. You also want a friendly and supportive environment to be part of the studio philosophy, and it doesn’t get any more friendly and supportive than VFit.

Then, of course, there’s cost. Studio/gym membership costs vary wildly, as do the availability of discounts through your health plan or employer.

And finally, there’s convenience. I’ll admit it: My biggest barrier to doing anything is effort threshold. In other words, the easier something is, the more likely I am to actually do it. One of my biggest strategies was to only consider joining studios that made things really easy for me. How that looks in practice: While some yoga studios require students to bring their own mats and towels, Sunstone provides mats and towels for every class. If I had to remember these things and lug them around, I would probably do a lot fewer classes. You can also buy a multi-studio level of membership that lets you walk in to any Sunstone branch you happen to be near and take a class. VFit only requires an internet connection and the Zoom app, so I don’t even have to leave my apartment. (Conversely, if I’m away from home, I can still take a VFit class as long as I have a laptop or device with me.)

Still, since I’m a Rebel, convenience isn’t enough. I like that neither studio triggers my Rebel tendency by making me jump through hoops or projecting a judging atmosphere, but that doesn’t mean I won’t skip class literally just to spite myself. I continue to struggle with that a lot. But I’ve discovered that the exercise buddy strategy works for me if I think of it not as an accountability strategy, but as an identity strategy.

In other words, I don’t tell myself, “I have to go to yoga because my yoga buddy is expecting me and it is my duty”; I tell myself, “I will not flake on my buddy more than a certain low percentage of the time, because being there for my friends is who I am.” Flaking would have consequences for her, because she attends the classes on my membership’s guest pass. So to do this often would constitute what I would consider a breach of my identity as a moral person. But, crucially, she’s not pushy or judgy and never frames our workouts or my attendance as a moral issue, so she doesn’t trigger my rebellion instinct. The moral identity piece is all internal and chosen by me. I’ve had two great relationships with two yoga buddies who were on the same page as me about all these things. Since my current yoga buddy and I paired up a few years ago, I’ve practiced more consistently than ever before. And we’ve grown an awesome friendship in the process. We’re also both very flexible . ;)

VFit is something I’m honestly surprised that I stuck with for multiple years, because even though the convenience really helps, I wondered whether I’d really go to the classes I signed up for. And yes, that’s still a problem to this day, but I think the secret to sticking with them overall has also been identity-based. I once told the members-only Facebook group that I avoid cardio because it makes me miserable, and instead of judging me or telling me I needed to do more cardio (which is what non-VFitters have done in the past), they just went, “Oh, wow, I didn’t know that was a thing.” They believe you and let you do you, so there is never a rebellion trigger. And if I don’t feel like doing a particular move in a particular class, the instructors are all supportive of me just marching in place until the next move. If nobody is telling me I have to do specific thing X, then I’m more likely to do at least something.

Other Strategies for Other People and Budgets

Other people with other personalities and budgets will want to do things completely differently. One of my bell choir homies is very self-motivated (I suspect her of being an Upholder in Gretchen Rubin terms). She’s gotten good results from the Beachbody 3-Week Yoga Retreat DVDs. To control her monetary costs, she bought the DVDs instead of doing the month to month on-demand service, even if it sacrificed some variety. She can do the workouts in her home, on her schedule, but still take advantage of the structured nature of them and the resources that came along with it. This type of strategy is a great option if you have the self-motivation to actually use the DVDs you buy (or a good external motivation strategy to keep you honest).

My sister, after getting a jump-start with VFit, settled into the Leslie Sansone “Walk at Home” program. It may not be the only thing she ever does, of course, but it’s the mainstay. She read the book as part of her research phase, and decided that Leslie’s approach was the one she felt was most sustainable for her over a lifetime. The walk-based approach is good if you want something that’s simple and low-impact, and the cost is low. You can apply the philosophy yourself, and you can buy some of Leslie’s programs on DVD/Blu-ray if you want to, but tons of Leslie’s walks are available on her YouTube channel for free–so the cost works for her lifestyle as a mom on a budget because you only invest in as much paid content as you can afford (even if that’s zero). The strategy of convenience also applies, because you don’t need any equipment and you can do it anywhere. I’ve visited my sister at her place and done a routine on Blu-ray, and I’ve also hung out in a motel room with her and done a YouTube session. Gretchen Rubin points out that free or low-cost walking/running programs like this can work for Rebels too, if they view their routine as rebelling against the gym and against paying money!

I know this post was heavy on specific examples, but if any of you out there are still making up your minds about taking the exercise plunge, I hope hearing about my thought process will give you some ideas for how to figure out what will work for you.

It’s still a work in progress, though, so I’ll happily accept any and all tips from fellow Rebels for how to fine-tune! (I want to accept tips from non-Rebels too, but… well, realistically, I won’t. Meaningless rebellion against advice is just part of our thing.)