Your neighbor is at the gym most mornings by six. Your best friend can run for hours but doesn’t have patience for yoga class. And you know somebody who goes into a funk if she misses even one daily workout in a month. Then there’s you, with a style and needs all your own.

There is an exercise program that’s exactly right for you. All you need to do is find the one that fits your personality.

“People are more consistent about doing exercise if they match the schedule and activities to their personality,” says Mike Siemens, director of Exercise Physiology at Canyon Ranch in Tucson. “It’s important to find two or three kinds of aerobic activity that you enjoy, as well as exercise that incorporates the four components of fitness – cardiovascular, strength, flexibility and agility.”

So, think about your major personality traits and consider these approaches to lasting fitness:

Competitive vs. Noncompetitive

Love the thrill of competition? That’s great incentive to keep a fitness program going.

“Even young people have to be in pretty good shape to chase a ball around, so it can be tough to use the sport itself as a training mode. But you can use tennis (or soccer, basketball, skiing and other sports) as a motivator to get into better shape,” says Siemens.

He suggests working with a certified personal trainer to design a routine that will strengthen the appropriate muscles for your sport of choice. This can improve performance and help you prevent injuries. If you want the excitement of competition without the risks of many competitive sports, you might also explore alternatives such as race walking or biking, which may be easier on your body.

On the other hand, if competition is not your passion, you may enjoy less aggressive. Walking is an ideal option on your own or in groups. Dance – including ballet, western dancing, jazz, tap and other nontraditional forms of movement – may also appeal to your creative, fun-loving side.
Indoor vs. Outdoor

Siemens says the indoor/outdoor factor plays a big part in every fitness program.

When you try to start or continue an exercise routine, tune into how you feel. Some people love the controlled environment, electronic displays, TVs and book racks you get with indoor treadmills. If that’s dull or confining to you, why not cover the same distance – with different scenery – outdoors?
Regimented vs. Non-Regimented

More disciplined personalities often appreciate the technical aspects of exercising indoors on machines that allow them to determine specific programs, calories burned, heart rate and so on. If they exercise outdoors, they frequently chart a specific course.

“Many times regimented people are ‘documenters.’ I recommend they keep an exercise diary or journal so they can chart their resting heart rates, times, etc. They enjoy this and it gives them incentive,” Siemens says.

Often these personalities also appreciate the structure provided by weight-training machines as opposed to free weights.

Not so regimented? You can get a great workout bicycling, planting trees, waterskiing, running with your dog in the park, bodysurfing at the beach, taking long walks, learning to dance.

Patient vs. Impatient

Some people love the mindful repetition of exercise programs. Others lack the patience, particularly in the strength-training arena.

“Personality types who don’t have a long attention span can get great benefit from a 15- to 20-minute routine targeting just one exercise per muscle group. You still get 80 to 90 percent of the benefit of doing two or three exercises for each muscle group,” Siemens says.

It’s all about YOU

Let your personality be your guide in customizing a fitness routine that motivates you.

“This is all about being active and moving more. If you have the perfect exercise program and you never do it, it is useless,” Siemens says. “Find what suits your personality and you’ll stick with it. That’s really what matters most.”

Other important lessons that our four-legged friends can teach us:
Stretch. Animals are continually stretching – following a nap, while changing position, when they want their stomachs scratched. They remind us, by example, that we need to stretch out and open ourselves up.
Go for the gusto. Animals enthusiastically enjoy routine activities – eating, running and playing. In fact, the ordinary and predictable things are, the more pleasure they seem to get from them. As one delighted dog says to another in a Gary Larsen cartoon, “Oh boy! Dog food again!” Nobody is more “in the moment,” more appreciative of what simply is, than a happy dog or cat.
Touch and be touched. The concept of pet therapy is becoming more mainstream. Therapy dogs are routinely brought into hospital wards to brighten patients’ days. The comfort of touch is a big part of what animals offer people. Most communication between animals of all kinds is nonverbal, and touch is the most intense form of nonverbal connection. People are free to reach out to animals and connect with them in an innocent but intimate way that isn’t possible with most other people.
Respect the cycle of life. Caring for a pet also keeps human beings in tune with every aspect of life, from birth to death, and though loss of pets is deeply sad, and inevitable, given their short life expectancy, they teach us to accept life’s limits, and offer irreplaceable comfort in tough times.

Aching for a spa experience but can’t quite fit it into your schedule or budget? Laura Hittleman, director of Beauty Services for Canyon Ranch in Tucson, has good news. The escape and indulgence you crave may be just down the hall, under your very roof. Clear out the tub toys, turn off the phone, lock the door and revel in a blissful bath.

A bath is a bath is a bath, right? Wrong, says Laura.

According to Laura, you must begin by understanding the distinction between taking a bath and drawing a bath. Someone might take a bath just to get clean, but drawing a bath is a different endeavor. “Drawing a bath is a luxury, a ritual. You are setting up that tub for yourself,” says Laura.

Make it special

For the kind of bath Laura recommends, you must first create the scene. Slow down and enjoy the ritual as you insulate yourself from the outside world. Get out your fluffiest towels. Turn down the lights. Arrange and light your favorite candles. Bring in some soothing music. Make sure the room and the water are not too hot nor or too cold. “Anything above 98.6 degrees will feel good, but don’t go over 103. Water that is about 99 to 101 degrees is best.”

Consider the water itself, choosing from among the many ingredients you can use for the experience you desire. You might want to savor a seaweed soak, for example. Or, you might add a favorite scent to the water, maybe something you find invigorating if you’re bathing at the start of a busy day. To relax, you could sprinkle some lavender in the water or substitute lavender oil.

And don’t forget your pantry, says Laura. What about a chamomile or peach tea bath right before bed? Toss a few tea bags in the water as you draw your bath.

Make the time

Laura recommends thinking head to toe when you plan your bath time. Consider your hair, face, hands, cuticles, skin, and feet. Pick one or two areas of concentration and treat them with extra special care.

“You might comb conditioner through your hair before you step in the bath, or put on a face mask,” suggests Laura. Or, apply a cuticle cream beforehand and use the wash cloth to gently push soft cuticles back. You can also apply a grainy exfoliating scrub to dry skin before a bath, then let it soak and melt off.

How long should you linger in the tub? “Eighteen minutes maximum,” says Laura. You don’t want to sacrifice your skin or the proper water temperature. “Remember, relaxation also comes with the preparation,” she adds. You don’t need hours of free time to make bathing an important part of your day or week.

The after-bath and beyond

Following your bath and a rubdown with a thick towel, Laura suggests you moisturize immediately, using favorite, rich products that feed and condition the skin. Bathing need not be any more drying to the skin and hair than showering.

And is soaking in a warm, indulgent bath only for women? “Absolutely not,” says Laura. Men need regular getaways just as much as women. In addition, men often enjoy and benefit from special scalp treatments as they soak.

As with any activity, safety is a factor to consider as well. Bathing during pregnancy must be considered with care, making sure that you don’t soak for too long in water that is too hot. People with diabetes should also take extra care and perhaps discuss with their doctor whether bathing is advised. Oils and scrubs may increase the risk of slipping, but a grab bar on the wall and a towel on the tub bottom can add extra insurance.
You don’t need to go to a spa to feel like you’ve been to one. Build a bathing ritual into your life. Mark your calendar and make an appointment to slide into a relaxing sea of bubbles. “Do this for yourself once a week or a couple of times a month,” suggests Laura.

Draw the curtains, draw a deep breath, and draw a bath.