Heredity Is Not Destiny: Do Health and Weight Problems Run in
Your Family? It May Be Habits, Not Genetics
by Janiss Garza
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I grew up as an unathletic kid. My mother was unathletic, so she
just assumed I was too. You see, our family has weak ankles and no
coordination. It wasn't until I was an adult that I realized that all this
was a lie. I wasn't unathletic - I just hated team sports. I discovered I
actually had a flair for dance, which takes quite a bit of athleticism and
coordination. Weak ankles? Of course they're weak if you don't do anything
to build up their strength. A lot of the physical deficiencies that I
thought I'd inherited were really born out of laziness and blind
acceptance - those were the real deficiencies. Once I worked on overcoming
those, my body got stronger and I started enjoying physical
activities.
On the positive side, we don't have weight problems in our family. As a
matter of fact, my dad's weight is within 10 pounds of what he weighed in
high school. Is that due to genetics? Not really. We're just very moderate
in our eating habits. More than once I've visited friends whose relatives
were on the plus side and found that their meals were also plus sized.
What am I trying to say here? Maybe you won't like this, but I'm trying to
pull the security blanket called "blame" out of your grasp. It's necessary
if you ever want to make any changes in your life. You have to let go so
your hands are open to receive new ideas, information and
attitudes.
It's a favorite family game to blame genetics for a lot
of problems. Weight issues, weak knees, heart disease, fallen arches - if
you've got it, chances are so does someone else in your family. People
often assume that means it - whatever "it" happens to be - is hereditary.
And yes, certain conditions are hereditary. Heart disease and
obesity do run in families and doctors do find genetic links. But not
always. And there are also times when a family's lifestyle choices can
make a genetic condition worse. So before assuming you are destined to
suffer from any particular physical affliction just because your father or
grandmother did, examine family habits. They're just as telling as
genetics.
One of the easiest habits to dissect is eating habits.
Every family has its own approach to food, and it is often handed down
from generation to generation. What types of meals run in your family? How
big are the portions? Does your family serve up hefty amounts of meat and
potatoes? Are comfort foods like macaroni and cheese frequent visitors to
the dining table? Are there a lot of chips or homemade cookies available
all the time for snacking, and do most meals end with a rich dessert? Then
it's no surprise if many of your family members might have a weight or
cholesterol problem. While nothing can match the taste of your mother's
home cooking, you may have inherited some poor eating habits along with
the heirloom recipes. Consider creating light versions of those rich
recipes, cutting down on those huge portions of mashed potatoes and adding
more vegetables to the dinner plate (and to lunch too, for that matter).
There are many ways to lean down your menu without completely forsaking
family fare.
What other habits run in your family? Do any of your
relatives smoke or drink excessively? Do most of them turn into couch
potatoes once they get out of school? These are sure setups for health
problems later in life. While it's tough enough to quit a bad habit like
smoking (it's really better to never start at all), it may be even tougher
to begin a good habit and stick to it. The effort is worthwhile, however -
regular exercise lowers your risk of developing, among other things, heart
disease, obesity, diabetes and osteoporosis. If any of these diseases run
in your family, it should be a good incentive to get moving. Exercise will
enhance your health, no matter what type of genetics you may have been
born with.
Perhaps the most insidious family trait is mental
attitude. If you come from a family that, as a whole, presents a youthful,
positive attitude towards life, you are probably the same way. On the
other hand, if the older members of your family seem to age prematurely,
or if they let life drag them down, then it's possible their attitudes are
dragging you down, too. A negative mental attitude is one of the hardest
habits to break away from - to do so requires a high level of awareness.
If you observe your family and yourself for a while you'll realize that
you are all talking yourselves into certain behaviors. Someone who blames
his aches and pains on "getting old" is actually giving himself permission
to have those aches and pains since it is impossible to stop time. If the
same person decides to take up Yoga to deal with, say, morning stiffness
or minor back pain, he is taking control of the situation and being an
active participant in his wellbeing. When it comes to your health - and
many other aspects of life - it's important to think actively. To think
passively is to give up, to find excuses to be less active, less of a
participant in life. We all have limitations, of course, but how do we
know what our limits are if we don't test them? And the only way to test
them is to first drop your preconceived notions of what is and what
isn't.
All of us carry some sort of baggage left over from the
atmosphere we grew up in. That doesn't mean you should disinherit your
family - you no doubt inherited quite a few good qualities and values from
them too - but do disinherit the bad habits and negative mental attitudes
that may have been handed down through the generations. No matter where
you come from, ultimately you create your own destiny. Taking charge of
your wellbeing and your life could even rub off on some of your relatives,
creating a legacy you can be proud of.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Janiss Garza is editor-in-chief of All Spirit Fitness.
All Spirit Fitness looks at all forms of exercise and health, from weight
training to dieting to yoga, from a mind-body-spirit
perspective.
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Heredity Is Not Destiny: Do Health and Weight Problems Run in
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