Have you ever started a new workout routine full of motivation, only to abandon it two weeks later and wonder what went wrong? Or maybe you've tried every diet under the sun and still can't figure out why nothing seems to stick. What if the missing piece isn't your discipline or your workout plan, but your personality?
That's where the Enneagram comes in.
The Enneagram is a personality framework that sorts people into one of nine types, each with its own core motivations, fears, and ways of moving through the world. It's been used in therapy, leadership, and relationships for decades, but today I want to talk about how it works in the wellness space.
I first discovered my Enneagram type in therapy. My therapist and I spent several sessions using it to make sense of my patterns; why I responded to stress the way I did, why certain things felt so hard, and what I actually needed to feel okay. Even though it was years ago now, I still think about it all the time.
Fast forward to now, working in the fitness industry, and I keep seeing the same thing play out while trying to reach my health goals.
For example, I'm a Type 7, the Enthusiast. I'm spontaneous, I love novelty, and I'm constantly chasing the next dopamine hit. Sticking to the same workout routine, eating the same meals on repeat, staying disciplined with a rigid plan — that goes against everything in my nature. Knowing this, I’ve tried to lean into my personality type, keeping a fun rotation of meals, and workouts so I don’t get burnt out.
What’s Your Enneagram Type
Before we get into every personality type, if you don’t know your enneagram, let’s figure that out! Here’s a link to the test here. Take it and let us know what type you are in the facebook comments.
The Different Enneagram Types
Type 1 - The Perfectionist: Rational, principled, purposeful, and perfectionistic.
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“Ones place a lot of emphasis on following the rules and doing things correctly. Type Ones fear being imperfect and can be extremely strict with themselves and others.”
Type 2 - The Helper: Caring, demonstrative, generous, and people-pleasing.
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“Twos want to be liked and find ways that they can be helpful to others so that they belong. This type fears being unlovable.”
Type 3 - The Achiever: Pragmatic, adaptive, driven, and success-oriented.
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“Threes want to be successful and admired by other people, and are very conscious of their public image. Type Threes fear failure and not being seen as valuable by other people.”
Type 4 - The Individualist: Sensitive, expressive, dramatic, and self-absorbed.
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“Fours want to be unique and to experience deep, authentic emotions. Type Fours fear they are flawed and are overly focused on how they are different from other people.”
Type 5 - The Investigator: Intense, cerebral, innovative, and perceptive.
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“Fives seek understanding and knowledge, and are more comfortable with data than other people. The biggest fear of the Type Five is being overwhelmed by their own needs or the needs of other people.”
Type 6 - The Loyalist: Committed, security-oriented, responsible, and engaging.
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“Sixes are preoccupied with security, seek safety, and like to be prepared for problems. For the Type Six, the greatest fear is being unprepared and unable to defend themselves from danger.”
Type 7 - The Enthusiast: Fun-loving, busy, spontaneous, and versatile.
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“Sevens want to have as much fun and adventure as possible and are easily bored. Type Sevens fear experiencing emotional pain, especially sadness, and actively seek to avoid it by staying busy.”
Type 8 - The Challenger: Powerful, dominant, decisive, and self-confident.
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“Eights see themselves as strong and powerful and seek to stand up for what they believe in. The greatest fear of the Type Eight is to be powerless, so they focus on controlling their environment.”
Type 9 - The Peacemaker: Easygoing, receptive, reassuring, and agreeable
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“Nines like to go with the flow and let the people around them set the agenda. Type Nines fear pushing people away by prioritizing their own needs, and they tend to be passive.”
Wellness Strategies by Type
Now that you know your personality type, let’s talk about how your personality relates to your wellness goals!
Type 1 - The Perfectionist
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The Challenge: Getting stuck in an "all-or-nothing" mentality or fearing you can't do a workout or diet perfectly.
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Wellness Tip: Embrace the mindset that progress matters more than perfection. Even 10 minutes of movement or a half-healthy meal is a win. [1, 2]
Type 2: - The Helper
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The Challenge: Prioritizing everyone else's needs and skipping your own workouts or therapy sessions.
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Wellness Tip: Join a group fitness class or find an accountability partner. You are more likely to show up for your wellness goals if you view it as a shared or team activity. [1, 2, 3]
Type 3 - The Achiever
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The Challenge: Turning wellness and fitness into a competitive metric or an endless to-do list, which leads to burnout.
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Wellness Tip: Focus on restorative, non-competitive movement (like yoga or leisurely walks) where the goal is simply to be present rather than hit a target or metric. [1, 2, 3, 4]
Type 4 - The Individualist
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The Challenge: Waiting for the "right mood" or deep inspiration to start exercising or eating well.
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Wellness Tip: Create consistent, daily rhythms instead of relying on strict rules. Focus on small, reliable habits that ground you in your body. [1, 2]
Type 5 - The Investigator
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The Challenge: Over-researching health and wellness from a distance instead of actually taking physical action.
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Wellness Tip: Simplify your routine. Choose one tangible, physical activity (such as swimming, biking, or a daily walk) to get you out of your head and into your body. [1]
Type 6 - The Loyalist
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The Challenge: Feeling skeptical of new lifestyle changes and overwhelmed by the sheer volume of conflicting health information.
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Wellness Tip: Pick one stable, trusted practitioner (e.g., a specific personal trainer or nutritionist) to guide you, and establish calming, grounding practices like meditation to manage anxiety. [1]
Type 7 - The Enthusiast
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The Challenge: Overcommitting to intense or flashy wellness trends, chasing dopamine, and quitting when the novelty wears off.
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Wellness Tip: Commit to slower, sustainable, and less stimulating recovery practices. Focus on finishing what you start before jumping to the next big trend. [1]
Type 8 - The Challenger
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The Challenge: Pushing your physical body too hard, ignoring early signs of fatigue, or adopting a "no pain, no gain" mentality.
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Wellness Tip: Pay attention to the subtle cues your body gives you. Incorporate gentle, restorative movement, and remember that resting is not a sign of weakness. [1]
Type 9 - The Peacemaker
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The Challenge: Going along with someone else's wellness plan and neglecting your own internal priorities.
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Wellness Tip: Define your own personal wellness goals. Find a quiet, consistent sanctuary—like a morning meditation space—to keep you in touch with what you need.
Maybe you don’t relate to the above, but now that you’re familiar with your enneagram, you can make your own conclusions to how your personality can either help or hinder your goals. Knowing this can help you work toward them the way that can help!
Every type has genuine strengths that, when channeled well, become serious assets on a health journey. Ones bring discipline. Twos build community. Threes crush goals. Fours bring depth and intentionality. Fives do the research. Sixes stay committed. Sevens make it fun. Eights bring relentless drive. Nines bring calm and consistency.
The goal is to understand your personality well enough to stop working against yourself.
If none of the above feels like a perfect fit, that's okay too. Use your type as a starting point, not a rigid label. Notice your own patterns. Ask yourself where you tend to self-sabotage, and where you naturally thrive. That awareness alone can shift a lot.
Wellness isn't one-size-fits-all, and it never has been. The more you understand yourself, the more you can build a routine that actually fits your life, and can stick with it.
I hope you found this fun and helpful! <3
