In Part 1 of “Steering Toward Strength,” we established that maintaining health and fitness isn’t just about willpower; it’s about a dynamic duo: Mindset and Motivation. We compared these to your car’s controls: your Mindset is the Steering Wheel that guides you and helps you interpret setbacks , and your Motivation is the Gas Pedal that gets your body moving.
We discussed that even if you make a wrong turn—by getting sick or missing a week of workouts—it’s not the end of the road; it’s just time to reroute and get back to it.
But even with your hands on the wheel and your foot hovering over the gas, it helps to know where you’re heading. That’s why we’re taking a quick pit stop to check under the hood with two simple self-assessments – The Fitness Mindset Questionnaire and The Fitness Motivation Questionnaire.
Use these quick quizzes to take stock of your fitness mindset and motivational style. Just answer honestly—no wrong answers, just better directions.
Fitness Motivation Questionnaire: The Gas Pedal of Movement
Motivation is the “gas pedal” that gets your body moving and keeps it from becoming a permanent chair ornament. This tool focuses on what drives you and how you handle the effort required for movement.
Questionnaire
When you plan a workout, the primary reason you do it is:
A. I worry about my health if I don’t exercise.
B. To look better or get compliments from others.
C. Because I enjoy the feeling of getting stronger and moving easier.
D. I love the challenge and the process of pushing my limits.
When you don’t feel like going to the gym, you typically:
A. Skip it entirely and tell yourself you’ll start over next week.
B. Force yourself to go, but spend most of the time distracted.
C. Commit to just a small part of the workout (e.g., a 10-minute walk) knowing that momentum often builds with movement.
D. Go, because you know the feeling afterward is worth the initial discomfort.
To stay motivated over time, you rely most on:
A. The occasional burst of inspiration from a social media post or documentary.
B. A reward system like buying new clothes or a treat.
C. Tracking your progress (e.g., strength gains, better sleep) to see consistent small wins.
D. The intrinsic satisfaction of knowing you showed up, even when it wasn’t “sexy.”
How do you view effort and soreness from exercise?
A. As a sign you might be pushing too hard or aren’t cut out for it.
B. As a temporary inconvenience that you wish would go away faster.
C. As necessary maintenance for the body you plan to keep driving.
D. As proof of adaptation and growth.
If a small setback happens (e.g., a work project derails your week of workouts), your reaction is:
A. “Why bother?” and you let your habits drift for a while.
B. Feel guilty, but you eventually try to get back on track.
C. Acknowledge the wrong turn and say, “Time to reroute and get back to it.”
D. Immediately pivot and find a simple way to move, like a quick stretch or walk.
Scoring Guide
Mostly A’s: Fuel Tank is Low. Your motivation is often tied to fear or guilt, which is not sustainable. Focus on finding one small reason to move today.
Mostly B’s: Running on Fumes. You rely heavily on external factors (appearance, rewards). Try shifting your focus to how movement feels instead of how it looks.
Mostly C’s: Cruising Steady. Your motivation is driven by positive internal feedback and consistency. Keep fueling that with small wins and curiosity about what your body can do.
Mostly D’s: High Octane. You love the process and see effort as part of the reward. Stay focused on your “why” (mobility, longevity, etc.) to keep your engine running efficiently.
The Fitness Mindset Questionnaire is designed to assess an individual’s psychological flexibility and locates where you are on a continuum between a Fixed Mindset and a Growth Mindset as applied to fitness.
It moves beyond why someone exercises (motivation) to how they mentally approach challenges, setbacks, and effort (mindset).
1. When you think about exercise, your first thought is:
A. I should, but I probably won’t.
B. I want to, but I don’t always feel up to it.
C. I enjoy how I feel after, even if getting started is tough.
D. Bring it on!
2. When you miss a workout or overeat, you:
A. Feel like a failure and give up for a while.
B. Feel guilty but try again the next day.
C. Learn from it and adjust.
D. Laugh it off and move forward.
3. Your approach to challenges in fitness is to:
A. Avoid them—I like my comfort zone.
B. Try once and quit if it’s too hard.
C. Tweak my plan until I make progress.
D. Embrace the struggle—that’s where growth happens.
4. When you see someone else crushing their fitness goals, you:
A. Feel discouraged and compare yourself negatively.
B. Think, “Must be nice for them.” C. Get curious and ask what they’re doing.
D. Feel inspired and use it as fuel.
5. Your biggest motivator for staying active is:
A. Guilt or fear of health issues.
B. External validation or appearance.
C. Feeling better and moving easier.
D. Loving the process of getting stronger.
Mostly A’s: Your mindset may be stuck in park. Let’s work on self-compassion and setting smaller, more rewarding goals.
Mostly B’s: You’re idling at the light. Motivation’s there, but clarity and confidence need a boost.
Mostly C’s: You’re cruising steady. Keep fueling that mindset with small wins and curiosity.
Mostly D’s: You’ve got the top down and the pedal to the floor. Stay humble and remember to help others along the way!
Mindset keeps your hands on the wheel—pointed toward better health.
Motivation fuels your progress—sometimes fast, sometimes slow, but always forward.
Wrong turns, stalled engines, even running out of gas now and then? Totally normal. What matters is getting back in the driver’s seat.
So next time you find yourself stuck, just ask:
Am I steering with purpose?
Do I need to press the gas—or maybe just tap it?
What’s one thing I can do today to get back on the road?
Remember: your health journey doesn’t need to be a race. Just keep driving.
And maybe keep some water and a protein bar in the glove box—just in case.
