Originally, we blamed our genetics for or shape, and diseases we we prone to having. Never did we stop to think that our genetics could play a role in our drive to be fit. This new and interesting research sheds light on why you could be a gym rat or a blob.
Studies of twins suggest that some of the differences between these types of people come down to genetics. A 2006 Swedish investigation looked at leisure-time physical activity in 5,334 identical and 8,028 fraternal twins. The findings revealed that the exercise habits of identical twins were twice as closely matched as those of fraternal twins.
Likewise, a 2006 study that pooled data on exercise participation in more than 37,000 twin pairs from seven European countries calculated the genetic influence on physical activity at somewhere between 48% and 71% (source).
So the moral of the story is…. if you are going to have kids, but you are a couch potato, then find someone who is a gym rat or a “busy body.” This will give your kids at least a 50% chance of being active 🙂 However, considering the law of genetics, you shouldn’t mix 2 lazy people or your off spring are doomed. Unless of course they have the recessive gene.
Research gives us clues as to why we are the way we are, but who’s to say you can’t be the one person in your family that is active, fit, and eats healthy??? You aren’t defined by your background or your genetics, you choose your fate with the choices you make in life.
Adria Ali
Queenangel says