Exercise versus genetics

“Never let anyone with twice the genetics but only half the determination EVER beat you" ~ Kai Greene

This is the thing... how are 'genetics' determined? How does someone who is really REALLY determined to make a difference to their lifestyle to be 'restricted' by genetics. It seems to me all to easy to say "Ahhh well, that person is geneticaly programmed to be lean and muscular" How do you even know that until you try??

Short answer: you don't. Those massive bodybuilders and huge powerlifters? Yeah, a lot of them have awesome genetics, BUT if they hadn't have busted their *kitten* to get that way, they'd still just look like some random guy you'd pass on the street and not even notice.

Genetics predispose us to things like height, build, where our fat distributes on our body, how our muscle mass develops - that's how they work. That's why we have different body types across the sexes. Where they can be limiting is mental, comparing yourself to someone else who is genetically not like you and comparing yourself to them, is where I think the crux of the argument comes from - because everybody is not built to the commonly markteted ideal body type. However, everyone is capable of exercise in some capacity and can therefore modify their body as such. Even though we are genetically distinct, we are also incredibly similar in things like muscle tissue and fat cells, all of which we all have the capacity to build and burn depending on how we fuel our bodies and how hard we work for it. I feel that this is most illustrative in the contestants of the Biggest Loser - they all come to the show with different body types, etc, but they are also all obese. The contestants then work for their weight-loss and fitness goals, and they all change. Not towards some ideal of what a body should look like, but towards the best image of their body based on their height, build, fat and muscle distribution, which at its roots comes from how our genes express themselves as our bodies.

Genetics predispose us to things like height, build, where our fat distributes on our body, how our muscle mass develops - that's how they work. That's why we have different body types across the sexes. Where they can be limiting is mental, comparing yourself to someone else who is genetically not like you and comparing yourself to them, is where I think the crux of the argument comes from - because everybody is not built to the commonly markteted ideal body type. However, everyone is capable of exercise in some capacity and can therefore modify their body as such. Even though we are genetically distinct, we are also incredibly similar in things like muscle tissue and fat cells, all of which we all have the capacity to build and burn depending on how we fuel our bodies and how hard we work for it. I feel that this is most illustrative in the contestants of the Biggest Loser - they all come to the show with different body types, etc, but they are also all obese. The contestants then work for their weight-loss and fitness goals, and they all change. Not towards some ideal of what a body should look like, but towards the best image of their body based on their height, build, fat and muscle distribution, which at its roots comes from how our genes express themselves as our bodies.

genes are not our fate! they certainly predispose us to certain attributes such as obesity, but that doesn't dictate whether or not that trait will be set in stone. we decide how to treat our bodies, what we put into them, how we use them.
that's my opinion.

This. ^^

Heck you don't know til you actually try. I didn't know I was capable of losing weight til recently. I only have myself to blame for my 80 pound weight gain. Not genetics even though a lot of my relatives are overweight. It's not a life sentence if I don't want it to be.

When I was younger I resigned myself to the idea that I was genetically meant to be fat. In actuality, genetically speaking... I'm the mesomorph type. The fat I put on over top of my easily-gained muscle was all diet related to emotional instability and family practice. Once I learned how to eat healthfully, and addressed some of the emotional issues, I find it fairly easy to maintain a healthy body. Who knew?!

There is research that suggests that genetics can be changed by environment and that they are not set in stone but are influenced by hormones (stress, endorphines etc). Of course then there is the expression of said genetics. Don't forget that a gene that makes you carry more fat can do squat if you live through a famine and don't have food. So long story short, you can't change what has already happened (those hips can only shrink so much until you have only bone, then you can't go any smaller), but you can work to change your future such as changing your muscle composition and body fat percentage.

This!

We are learning more and more about genes and how they are turned on and off. I would say CULTURE is a much bigger influence than genetics. If your parents are fat, you are more likely to be heavy too because of genes and culture...

The fact that the introduction of "american" or "western" diet and lifestyle to peoples all over the world leads to obesity should tell us that genetics doesn't get the last word.

I was overweight from when i was 11 years old all the way to my late teens. I crash dieted at 18 and struggled to keep the weight off until i was 25.

All my relatives (both sides of the family) are overweight. I always thought I couldn't do anything about my weight. I thought I had a big frame.

And then, at 26, I started jogging. At 27, I started dancing.

Now, I'm 32, have discovered I'm actually very petite and a lot of people think I am 'genetically' thin and athletic. I eat more healthy foods and am quite active with runnning, dancing, yoga. I usually exercise 2-3 times a week. Of course, knowing that everyone in the family is overweight has motivated me much, much more to not follow in their footsteps and to be mindful of my exercise and intake.