Overcoming Bad Genes

Let's talk about:

The Curse Of Bad Genes...

But is there truth in it?

Let's break down the role your genes play in being overweight or having a heart attack.  Not only does the food you eat matter, but so do your genetics.  This can lead to families with a common pattern of illness or everyone being overweight. It can also create frustration when your spouse has the same or worse habits, but seems to never gain a pound.  

And it’s true, cardiovascular disease, type II diabetes, cancer, osteoporosis, Alzheimer's, hypertension, and obesity have all been linked to genetic factors.  But just because you have “bad genes” does NOT mean you’re doomed to the same fate as your parents and grandparents!  In fact, just recognizing this potential pattern, if it exists, might be your ticket to a brighter future. 

Bad genetics loads the gun. Poor behavior pulls the trigger. 

You can walk around your whole life with a loaded gun and never pull the trigger into the diseases written in your genes. 

Of the hundreds of clients I’ve worked with to lose weight, improve health markers, or resolve chronic disease, I’ve never met anyone that doesn’t respond favorably to specific modifications to what they eat. Many of my clients are making intentional changes to quite effectively buck their unhealthy familial trends.

In a family where everyone is overweight, one individual can decide they want something different and be successful.

Mom! What’s for dinner?

It’s also worth noting that you and your family likely share more than genetics.  You probably also have common learned values and habits.  These can be just as powerful as genetics in determining your health and fitness outcomes.  A simple example I experienced is placing a positive connotation on joining the “clean plate club as a child”.  

My grandfather grew up in the depression, probably spent a lot of time hungry in his formative years, and when he was successful enough later in life to always have enough food on the table he was not only very proud, but also didn’t want it to go to waste.  For some of us, giving ourselves permission to put some food in the garbage, or just saving leftovers, is the right choice for our health.

Hand Me Downs

If your kids see you cook and eat real food, they eventually will too. If you cope with fast food, you’ll pass that along as well. Do you enjoy being active and working out, or see it as a chore?  Your kids will pick up on that.  I often see my clients' kids in their training videos following along, mimicking their parents, and loving every second. 

Watching your kids watch you can be a powerful motivator for change.  And there is always a way to change things for the better. 

Where do you go from here?

Step 1: Recognize if there’s a health pattern in your family that you’d like to skip your generation.  

Step 2: Consider that a combination of genetics and habits might be contributing

Step 3: Start to take action to understand clearly what you need to do to see the change you want.  

If you can handle Steps 1 & 2, we at NHP can help you out with Step 3. 

Just reply to this email with the thing you want to be different...