Not the world’s most scientific test, but still worth a shot. If nothing else, it’s blog fodder!
To post the results in your own blog, take the test and copy the HTML the form gives you, then paste it in the HTML or Code editor. Sometimes the picture moves to the left after you post it: just go back and edit it to put it in the middle. Sometimes the line breaks disappear: go back and put in the breaks yourself and they should stay.
Here’s what I got:
You Can Change Your Life |
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You’re able to make very difficult changes in your life. It’s all about state of mind. And even if you have some trouble changing, you’re smart enough to get support or take a different approach. So go ahead and dare to make things better. You know you can do it! |
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raincoaster media 
sulz
May 1, 2007
my results:
You Can Change Your Life, But It Won’t Be Easy
You really, truly want to change. You’re just not sure that you can do it.
You need a solid plan, supportive friends, and a strong will.
Think about times you’ve made hard changes, and what you did to get through them.
A change is in your future – you just need a little help getting started.
raincoaster
May 1, 2007
Well, you’ve got the friends and the will. Have you got the Plan?
sulz
May 1, 2007
actually i don’t have the friends. i haven’t told anyone about the changes i would like to make in my life ‘cos… i don’t have anyone close enough. and i’m afraid of their response. if i’m making change, it will be all by myself. which i will get to it, eventually!
raincoaster
May 1, 2007
Then what you do is exactly what I’ve done: make a pseudonym and join the online change community, who are very supportive. Why go it alone? You can have friends everywhere.
I’m going to be posting more resources like that soon enough, but you can start by joining the Self Challenge at http://www.self.com/challenge/welcome. It’s a three-month fitness and diet improvement program for beginners, and they have forums, email reminders, tracking logs, recipes, and a ton of resources on their site for you. It’s free, too. It officially started in March, but you can sign up any time. I have done this in the past and it’s a great plan for those starting out.
For other kinds of change, it’s best to find forums that are devoted to change-seekers in that area. They can be very helpful. Your friends don’t have to be sitting next to you to be supportive!
As well, don’t write off your meatspace pals without testing them first. If you ask for support and they don’t give it, you’re no worse off than you are right now, making the assumption that they won’t help. If you ask and they DO give you support, you’ve gained a new appreciation of your friends and family. I learned that when I was twelve and asked my mother to leave the onions and dressing off my salad, because I hated mayonnaise. She said Sure, but it took me six months to work up the courage to ask in the first place. Six months of eating mayo and onions. Yuck!
raincoaster
May 1, 2007
I should totally do a post on the Self Challenge before it’s over for this year, come to think of it.
I just signed up again and got a free two-week pass to Gold’s Gym. Unlike last time I did this, the prizes don’t seem to be limited to Americans only.
Let me know if you want an invitation by letting me know in the comments and I’ll send you an e-card invitation. We could win more stuff that way.
sulz
May 1, 2007
wow, that could be a useful link, thanks! nah, thanks for the offer. :)
raincoaster
May 1, 2007
For a chick rag, Self magazine more or less rocks. I buy it quite regularly, and a lot of libraries carry it, too.
azahar
May 1, 2007
I got the same result as you, Rain. Which makes sense regarding my recent change to join a gym. Because of my dodgy back it started off with just taking yoga classes last November, then I moved on to include pilates classes. Now I also have a shortish routine I do up in the fitness/weight room after my pilates classes twice a week, which no doubt will get longer.
I used to go to Gold’s Gym in Toronto and it was quite good – of course the best thing about it was that it was about a five-minute-walk from my house.
Likewise my present gym is just five minutes away. This makes a huge difference in being able to maintain the commitment. If it took me an hour just to get there-and-back again I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t bother.
All change is difficult, and is often quite scary as you are doing things you don’t feel familiar or comfortable with (yet!).
sulz, if you’d like a bit of support with your changes you are very welcome to stop by over here to talk about this and that. It’s just a personal-type blog but there are some very good and supportive people there.
raincoaster
May 1, 2007
Convenience is a HUGE factor in gym use; I joined the community centre across the street from my apartment, because if it’s farther away, I just won’t go. I’ve always liked Gold’s because it’s basically full of gay bodybuilders; I don’t get hit on, and if I need to know how to use a machine, they are all willing to help out.
Have you tried swimming? It’s apparently great for your back. I hate getting water up my nose, but it sure is a good workout.
azahar
May 1, 2007
Two things stop me from partaking of that wonderful exercise for one’s back … the main one being that I can’t swim! The other being that this would require me to wear a swimsuit in public. Like, no way no day.
I discovered last week that the upstairs fitness/weight room at my gym was quite full of gay-or-otherwise serious bodybuilders. Bonus!
raincoaster
May 1, 2007
Awesome!
If swimming is out then the next best thing if you want to branch out from Pilates and yoga would be the elliptical trainer for cardio. No knee or back strain at all, unlike the treadmill, and burns just as many calories if you use the arm thingies. Cross country ski machines are similar. Just be sure to use the heart-rate monitor versions if you can, because you can really get a major workout without feeling like you’re pushing yourself. Overdoing it is never advisable.
I’ll be posting more about heart rate monitoring later this week. Great stuff.