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Don't let Genetics be an Excuse
Fitness | July 16, 2015
A lot of people talk about genetics and often use them as an excuse for why they can or can not get physical results. While your genetics determine physical attributes and are inherited from your parents, yes, I really do think that you can make dramatic improvements by changing your lifestyle and maintaining healthy habits. I did research recently trying to determine how much control you have over genetics as far your health, fitness AND appearance is concerned and you might have more control than you think…
A study came out earlier this year that examined the role of exercise on twins (A detailed explanation of the study that is easier to understand is also available at The New York Times). Now, twins are genetically identical so the different physiological changes that can occur between them is entirely behavioral and environmental. This study helped measure just how much of a beneficial impact exercise has on our health and wellbeing outside of our genes. The focus was on ten sets of male adult twins. One of the twins lived a sedentary lifestyle while the other twin was active and consistently exercised. As a result, the twins’ physiological makeups differed a substantial amount from one another even though they were genetically identical. More importantly, the lifestyle changes were noticeable in a short amount of time. Their separate choices – sedentary vs. active – were only within a three-year time frame. Which means it’s never too late to make a change and see results!
The sedentary twins showed early symptoms of insulin resistance among other negative metabolic changes, had a higher percentage of body fat and were in worse cardiovascular shape then their more active counterpart. I think those are all pretty obvious changes you would expect from someone who works out on a regular basis vs. someone who doesn’t BUT another significant change was in the brains of the twins. The active twins showed an increase in brain and neurological tissue associated with motor skills. Basically the particular movements required in a workout forced the brain to adapt by increasing neural pathways. The same thing that happens whenever we learn something new that requires a skillset we don’t already have.
Another study focused on twins that you may have read about in some articles from last year featured pictures of twins who smoke vs. quit smoking or didn’t smoke at all. We all know that smoking is bad for you and your health but now you can see how it actually affects your appearance. The picture below was probably the most dramatic that I’ve seen, and it’s not only smoking that attributed to the difference but also sun exposure.
All this also made me think about that picture that went viral a while back about the woman who did an experiment and drank more water over 4 weeks and showed before and after pictures of her looking younger and healthier. She’s not a twin but she can be a good example of how changing up one basic habit can help transform you in a short time.
We’ve all seen before and after transformations for working out and dieting that demonstrate weight loss and muscle definition but it’s interesting to see photos of people changing up small habits (exercising regularly, quitting smoking, drinking water, etc.) and the great thing about studies like this is that it demonstrates that you should never consider yourself at the mercy of your genes. It also shows how quickly and dramatically you can make a difference. If you need help getting started with making healthy habits a part of your daily life, maybe this can help. That said, I expect to see each and every one of you at the ZGYM! 😉
Private Member |
Thanks Z,
I find this topic really fascinating. I’m a strong believer that what’s on the outside reflects what’s happening internally. I believe your body is a reflection of self; your habits, stresses, values, etc. Our bodies are always telling us ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to whatever we throw at it. Some people ignore these signals. That’s why there are countless people living with health issues and accepting it as if that’s ‘how they’re meant to be.’ Unfortunately for some, our bodies are so adaptable that abnormal becomes normal. There are a lot of people who are really disconnected to their body, and I think that’s really sad.
Private Member |
looks like your website building skills are getting better.
Private Member |
seattle, washington
People see you as you are today and they think you start working out 8 years ago. When the truth is you have been in to fitness pretty much all your life. If you had a twin and she had lead a sedentary life I think the evidence would prove you don’t have magic DNA, but a strong commitment to the fitness life. This was a great article, Zuzka!
Private Member |
that’s totally ok for me… I do my best in terms of fitness and all over health. But genetics and environmental influcence play a role and therefore I would not consider to have children.
Private Member |
nürnberg, germany
I totally agree..you can change a lot, but only as far as your genetics gives you the posssibility to do so.
For Example in my family everybody has kind of a big belly… I hate this..because I do have small arms and legs but relating to that a huge belly..My Mum always says, don’t stress yourself about it, you can’t change it anyways…I guess she is right:(
Private Member |
The moment I read about body types, I became empowered. I am pear shaped and realized I can never have thin calves or thighs. But I can and I did get abs definition. I always work on my legs and they have changed shaped drastically, especially since I started doing weights. All I needed was a workout routine change.
Lemon water also worked for me. But the best change I did for my health was starting a nutrition diary and watching out for portions. I only wrote down what I ate at what time. The timing alone helped me – whenever I just wanted to nibble on something (my excuse to take a break from work), I looked at the diary and saw that I had just eaten an hour or two before. The nibbling could wait, preferably until the next big meal. It usually never happened in the end. And no eating after 21:00. And so, in one week, my digestion became impeccable, my stomach flat and I also lost weight (while training and eating plenty of protein – so I hope it wasn’t lost muscle). I managed to keep up this for up to a month and it always helped me get in stellar shape. Just try it! (I wasn’t able to do it always, just once in a while for a month, but it always helped)
Private Member |
Very interesting. I do hear the genetics and body type myth a lot and I was always never sure if it was completely true. Its interesting to read facts like this and see that we have complete control over our appearance by controlling how we take care of our bodies with effective workouts and healthy eating! Thank you for this, great article!
Private Member |
Yeah … but some are so genetically ‘perfect,’ that they just need to put in a fraction of effort to look great and healthy and then there are those that have to work so much harder than others to achieve same results … it’s not an even playing field and genetics play a huge, though not solitary, role in that. I really hate when those ‘genetically superior’ start telling the ones that don’t have the ‘physique du jour’ that it’s all about them working hard while they really are not working that hard at all … I remember in my naive and condescending younger days I’d boast about being disciplined when it came to my diet as the reason why I was thin and had (what I thought was) a six-pack when it I was really just mildly anorexic (nothing to do with discipline, rather a health/behavioral issue) and naturally trim (genetics, youth) and thought others were just pigging out all the time. Now I know better. Some of the folks that ‘looked less fit’ were in all actuality way more fit and physically stronger than me, even though I looked the part more than they did … So yeah, lots of grey area there.
Private Member |
prague, czech republic
You`re definitely right. I can say that I am the one that needs to work really hard, track all I eat to stay in an acceptable shape. I am quite strong, really fit but e.g. having a six pack is, well, unreachable for me without dieting hard (like a bodybuilder preparing for a competition). Being an ectomorhp is quite hard for me to stay lean, but lucky me that I gain muscles easily 🙂
But even I can`t have ripped body I won`t stop working out a eating clean, just for the feeling of doing the right thing for my body 🙂
Private Member |
prague, czech republic
Opp, sure it should endomorph.