How Genetics Affect Fitness

There are many genetic factors that play a role in your ability to lose fat and gain muscle. It’s impossible for the average person to fully grasp them all; however, a basic understanding of a few core genetic factors can be a big help. “Knowledge is power”, after all!

Five Fundamental Factors

1. Your Basal Metabolic Rate. This is the number of calories you burn while at rest to maintain normal body functions such as breathing, circulation, digestion, thinking, etc.
2. Fat Cells. We are all born with a predetermined number of fat cells. Your fat cell number can increase but it cannot decrease with diet and exercise. What CAN change is the size of your fat cells, making you thinner and leaner.
3. Muscle Fiber. You were also born with a predetermined number of muscle fibers. If you were born with a large number of muscle fibers, your potential for developing muscle size is greater than someone with fewer fibers.
4. Set Point. Some individuals are given more fat cells by heredity while some are given fewer. Therefore, heredity does play a role in your weight. However, we all have a “set point”, which is affected by both the environment and our behavior. You can “adjust” your set point considerably with your eating and exercise habits.
5. Carbohydrate Sensitivity.Some people are genetically more sensitive to carbohydrates than others. This can have a direct impact on your ability to lose body fat. When you’re sensitive to carbs, your blood sugar rises rapidly with even the smallest consumption. This causes a large increase of insulin, which, in short, puts you in “fat storage mode”.

Success in fat loss is not determined by genetics alone. You can control most of the genetic factors
involved in losing fat.

Do the Best With What You’ve Got

No two people are going to get the exact same results from a specific diet and/or exercise program because no two people are genetically the same. So right now, this minute, set a goal to achieve your personal best. Don’t go about your day comparing yourself to others. While it’s a common human quirk to do this, it’s not productive.

Your mind is the most important body part you have. With proper will power and knowledge, you can be as successful (or unsuccessful) as you will yourself to be. Your metabolic and physiological characteristics influence how easily you can build muscle and lose body fat. Your mind controls it all. For example, if you tell yourself you’re “fat and dumpy”, you’re going to exude that aura about you causing others to see you that way. Worse, you convince yourself and act accordingly, making yourself just that – “fat and dumpy”.

The Blame Game

When you’re not getting the results you want, the easiest – and sadly all too common – thing to do is to play the blame game and make excuses:

• “It’s my genetics.”
• “I have big bones.”
• “I have a slow metabolism.”
• “I don’t have enough time to exercise.”

And so on it goes…

Making excuses is relinquishing control. If you cannot accept that you’re in control, you cannot expect to succeed. It sounds “tough”, but it is what it is. Life can be tough, but we can use those tough situations for strength that goes far beyond physical factors.

“Your struggles develop your strength. When you overcome hardships, that is strength.” -Arnold Schwarzenegger

Negativity Breeds Failure.

We create our circumstances through positive thinking and positive action. We create negative circumstances through negative thinking.

If you’re feeling down and out, thinking that Mother Nature dealt you a “bad hand” and it’s all so unfair – STOP. Everyone one is “dealt a different hand”. That’s one thing you DO have in common with every single other person on the planet. Instead of comparing yourself to others,  focus on accepting and loving yourself just as you are.

Your genetics are one of the very few things in this life that are uniquely your own. Don’t try to “fight” them. Learn to understand them, work with them and live in harmony with them.

Category: Fitness