The “General” (10% of the population)
Like General Douglas MacArthur and entertainment mogul Lucile Ball, you tend to have high aspirations and being in charge comes naturally to you. You feel that your ideas, talents, and leadership could change the world and you have enough confidence in yourself to certainly try. You strive to be the “top dog” in any field and once you achieve it, you tend to look for a higher tree to climb.
You care more about body image, so you are more likely to be thin and well conditioned (or at least look like it) than most of the other brain types. In fact, your brain type is the most common among fitness competitors and bodybuilders.
It is hard to find someone with your brain type who is excessively overweight, but your weight can fluctuate during the year, based on seasonal (i.e. holiday weight gain), eating patterns and goals. It is easy for you to gain weight and to lose weight so you may tend to yo-yo more than other brain types if you don’t have your habits dialed in tightly.
You tend to get your energy from other people and do better talking things out with them, instead of holding things inside, trying to work them out on your own. You need to expend energy in a fun way, so group training classes with lots of variety and options in the workout appeals to your brain type.
Because you have a wider scope of activities and interests, you get distracted easily. This can make it more difficult for you to stay on the same track if something better comes along.
You would rather leap before you look because you are an amazing “starter” and would rather jump right into something that you find interesting but you have a tendency to lose some of that energy, excitement, and motivation along the way if you get distracted or notice some grass that looks greener nearby. Committing to this program for at least three months and taking your health journey one step at a time will allow your brain to associate enough positive success for it to remain focused.
To stay on track, it is important to exercise that part of your brain. Meditation will help with that development and if you get off track, the Train technique will help with that.
You are open-minded about new information because you are always on the lookout for something that can make you even more effective. This will make you more receptive to the ideas in this program than some of the other brain types.
When setting your goals, be sure to focus on the results this program can produce for you and specifically on how achieving your health goals can also help you achieve other aspirations in life. Celebrate the big and little victories!
You like working toward a main goal down the road, but be sure to use short-term rewards for each step of the way to keep you on track. You are motivated by instant payoffs to your efforts, and when you find those payoffs, you maintain motivation and desire to motivate others along with you. Keeping a Success Journal will be an effective technique for you.
Administrative details and manual tasks take away from things you enjoy, so unless you truly enjoy cooking, you will have to teach yourself over time how to enjoy it as you nudge yourself back in the kitchen, one step at a time. It will also help you to have get-togethers with friends that are centered around food preparation, so plan some gatherings to prepare some of the recipes on hardbodcafe.com
You may also need to work on self-discipline. When you succumb to the temptation of what’s coming next and fail to adhere to your own priorities, you may be less successful at achieving your end goals than other brain types if you’re not careful. Practice the Square Breathing technique to exercise your PFC and slow you down when you need to step back and think more clearly.
A lack of energy or desire will never be a problem for you. Pacing, however, is something to pay special attention to, so you don’t move too fast and burn out too quickly. You want results fast, and you can get impatient along the way, which can cause you to abandon projects altogether for something that seems easier to attain.
You tend to tackle projects headfirst, and are always in motion. In fact, just watching you might tire other people. You are known for your zealousness and enjoyment of life to its fullest, having the gift for finding excitement in new things like this program and the innovative recipes on hardbodcafe.com.
You want to be on the go all the time, experiencing as much as possible. Living for the moment, you tend to cash in now and pay later. You tend to seem fearless, willing to try anything at least once. General George Patton was another good example of these qualities.
You are a risk taker and may find lasting commitments confining and boring, including commitments to your health. You do have a keen sense of competition, however, so forming a contest with others would be a good strategy for you to stay on track. Because of your competitive nature and leadership abilities, you would also make a good coach.
Your emphasis on the physique and living life to its fullest often make growing old difficult to handle, so it’s important to stay in good condition into your latter years. Be sure to set your goals for that purpose as well.
You need to be especially aware of your tendency for addictions, especially to substances that can change your state, like sugar and alcohol. Winston Churchill was known for his love of alcohol, especially when he was under extreme pressure, which happened to be most of the time because of his position and conditions of the world at the time.
You tend to need more freedom when dieting. A rigid structure that often works well for others may not work as well for you. As long as healthy steps happen within the guidelines of this program, you may enjoy taking liberties when dieting.
If not allowed to indulge your food cravings and past addictions some of the time, you may feel like quitting and returning to your familiar freedom seeking ways, even if those ways are damaging to your health. The chocolate recipes and other delicious treats on hardbodcafe.com should serve you well in this regard, as a replacement for those past indulgences.
You will do well when eating healthy, planned out meals, limiting the dietary options that can be too tantalizing. You also tend to like the freedom to eat without limiting the amount, so in order to avoid the foods that will cause you to gain weight and damage your health, plenty of healthy foods need to be easily accessible at all times, with several delicious options to choose from. The Conscious Eating technique will help you with this.
Keep your focus on the process instead of the results. Take things one step at a time, focusing on the benefits, successes, and reasons for each step.
Summary and Recap
Goal setting: Set a goal for each step and plan some sort of celebration when you achieve that goal. Focus on goal-setting for life: both to live life to its fullest through improved health and energy and to increase the quality of life for years to come, so you are able to maintain your speed and enjoyment well into your advanced years.
Best Workout: Group exercise with people you can be competitive with, in a fun way. It should feel like a game to you, with lots of different things going on at once.
Motivated by: Competition, fun and games, short-term rewards for progress, variety in your food plan, being thin and climbing the fitness ladder by reaching milestones along the way, either set by you or others.
Supported by: Other fun loving people who encourage you and notice your progress and accomplishments.
Areas to strengthen: Focusing on and finishing projects. Make cooking fun, so you gradually get yourself back in your kitchen and form it as a habit.
Strengths to use: Your gift of conversation and relation to other people will serve you well in talking things out – especially if you find yourself straying off track or seating seasonally.
Brain training techniques: Success Journal, Square Breathing, Conscious Eating (Part 1 and Part 2), Meditation, Staying on the Train, EFT.
