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I will try hard to not let this turn into a “rant” 
There are some things I’m passionate about. Health and nutrition is my passion! And, I don’t like excuses or denial. JUST DO IT! My family has bad “heart” genes. My kids will have even worse genes when combined with my hubby’s family’s “heart” and “diabetes” and “obesity” genes.
I get really, really, really upset when I hear family members saying that the doctor told them their conditions (high blood pressure, cholesterol, triglycerides,etc) are hereditary. So, they just resign themselves to meds! NO! Are you kidding me?! WHAT?! Just because you have bad genes DOES NOT mean that you are destined to be on meds and suffer from these ailments. IT DOES MEAN that you will have to work harder than the person who is genetically blessed!
“YOU DO NOT HAVE THE GENETIC LUXURY OF BEING OVERWEIGHT” – DR. OZ
I loved it when I heard him say that the other day. YES! YES! YES! That’s what I’ve been trying to say! “I do not have the genetic luxury of _______.” Fill in the blank….”not working out” or “of eating ____.” That’s just life. It’s the “hand we were dealt” so DEAL WITH IT!!!
My last bit of “rant” is about health and weight. My family is not overweight by much. My family is not obese. They are all relatively slim people, wearing normal sizes and you wouldn’t look at them and think they were on blood pressure and cholesterol meds or that there were a great deal of deaths from heart disease. The two men in my family who have died in the last 20 years of heart disease (way too early in life – early 50s & 60s) were not obese. They still died of heart disease and attack!
So, when I talk about genes I’m not talking about those people who seem to eat whatever they want and never gain weight….those people may still be unhealthy…inside. My last words are…don’t live in denial that if you’re skinny that equals healthy! It’s just doesn’t always work that way….
ONLY YOU KNOW WHAT YOU’RE EATING, IF YOU’RE EXERCISING & HOW HEALTHY YOUR LIFE IS!
Diet and exercise are important! What are you eating? What are you doing? How much are you moving? Exercising has a greater effect on lower cholesterol than diet in many cases! Take that in for a minute! They are both important! Here is an interesting clip from Self Magazine in August 2010 about exercise and the changes we make for overall health!
Don’t get me wrong, obesity is a huge problem. The fat around the middle causes insulin resistance = diabetes. It pushes on the kidneys and affects blood pressure. The list goes on and on BUT don’t be fooled if you’re skinny! AND, don’t think that meds are the answer….DIET AND EXERCISE are the answer to LONG TERM health and wellness!
Phew. My fingers are tired from banging on my keyboard.
I struggled with finding pics for this because I didn’t want to “call out” my family and friends with health problems! That’s not cool! So, I used a great Biggest Loser Family!
ANYTHING TO ADD??? Do you all get frustrated talking to your families about diet and exercise? Are they on board? Do your “bad” genes help to motivate you like they do me?
{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }
Amen girl! I am predisposed to a TON of medical illnesses, but I’m taking charge of my fitness and food routine to do my best to fight it!!
My family has a lot of type 2 diabetes – but you know that doesn’t have much to do with genes. It’s all about choices.
It’s frustrating to see them take their habits to an early gate.
And yes – that’s a big part of why I want to be so fit!
I love it girls!!! You’re so right, both of you!
Love to see strong women not allowing for excuses with their health!
Since I started taking better care of myself (in terms of health but also in other self-care ways), I’ve found it had some ripple effects on others in my family. I may have made the most drastic changes, but others have followed suit to some extent. I’m not preachy, but I try to talk about health and nutrition in casual conversation.
The hardest part for me was to learn that exercise has to be a part of my life… just like brushing my teeth. It’s a necessary part of life. I agree people shouldn’t resign themselves to a certain type of life because it runs in the family. That resignation might be about fear of trying and failing. I’ve seen people who don’t try because they’re afraid of failing. It’s about perseverance. I don’t always do perfectly, but boy oh boy, I get right back up every time I fall down.
I think I get most upset because I do have high blood pressure/cholesterol, stroke, and cancer that run in my family. My mom has battled on/off with ovarian cancer since I was 18 (now I am 26). I have harped and harped about the importance of changing your diet/lifestyle and only now is my mother FINALLY listening to me!! I agree with everything you said here! YOU make your own destiny! I choose to live a healthy life and I choose to influence my family to do so too! Every little bit helps! great post!
thanks! i’m so going to make my husband undertand this. he hasn’t gained any wieght or lost any muscle mass since his college football days. he still looks like when he was a running back at mizzou. but he uses it as an excuse to eat chips and drink mt. dew all day long. he never eats veggies or fruit and his perfect meal is a huge helping of red meat with potatoes! it’s so hard to get the kids to eat right when dad is always screwing up!
anyway…thanks for the post. i’m going to have to make him pay attention to you!
Wellllllllllll, maybe it is wrong but I don’t seem to have this filter and I can’t seem to stop myself from judging peoples stupid decisions…and then call them out. Like my Mom’s high blood pressure, she has these terrible side effects from her medicine and the ONLY benefit is that it lowers her blood pressure. Meanwhile she vomits, feels sick, and lalalala. Really? And she KNOWS that should could change this with food but she puts more stock on PILL medical advice than Nutritionist medical advice. I’m no nutritionist but COME ON! Personally I haven’t found a balance yet. I made a batch of cookies and since I NEVER make cookies I ate like 3/4 of the batch…for reals. and THAT is not healthy. And I’m still feeling crappy and trying to figure out why I did it…
What a great conversation this started! I have to start w/ LA!!!
@ La – I DO THAT! I DID THAT! Until I learned that sugar cookies (for me) are my “trigger” food. I’m like an alcoholic when it comes to sugar cookies. I cannot control myself and if that’s the case, then I cannot have just one! I cannot start eating what is my “alcohol” to an alcoholic! I’d love to hear what you think about this La….you can email me privately if you want! Gosh, I’ve got to get my discussion board up and running (working on this) so we can all talk about this stuff privately
OH, and I have the same trouble – trying to convince people that drugs are not the answer.
@ Sandi – good luck!! It’s hard to get others on board sometimes. It’s a progression that takes time. There’s a whole mental process involved in making a change and it doesn’t happen overnight. My hubby made a lot of changes when I did and said I was bringing him w me or leaving him behind. He wanted to join but did so on his own w/o really verbalizing that. I just watched the change and then he explained it months later. Good luck!!
@ Healthy Apron – I”m so glad to hear your mom is finally listening!!! Sounds like she listened all along maybe and just took her some time to make the changes? That’s awesome!!!!! So happy for you and proud of your influence!!
@ Michele – that’s awesome! Sounds like you’re a great and healthy influence and you do it in a subtle way! Doesn’t it amaze you how little people know about health and nutrition?! And, how complicated it really is?!
Can I get another “AMEN”?!?!?! I am right there with your opinion!
Here, here Tori!! TOTALLY agree with your thoughts. My family has high blood pressure/heart disease/cancer in it, and who knows, I may be affected by those or other ailments in the future, but I’m taking control of my own habits now, and hopefully that’ll hold me in good stead down the line. Have a great day!
I love it! Thanks girls!!! You all inspire me!!!!!!!!!!!
I am so glad I found your website! I do have a bad gene pool and unfortunately got Type 1 Diabetes. What I didn’t know is I had it until the age of 30, so I guess it was adult onset type 1. Anyways, I was told by my doctor that insulin puts weight on so there was nothing I could do. So I gave up trying to lose weight. I was weighing in at 255 at my highest, lost 30 pounds on my own through counting carbs and was stuck. Nevertheless, I finally did something about it 8 years later when life was becoming hopeless and I was terribly sick. My story is on my blog if your interested.
I lost my weight and my health has flourished! If I’d only known years ago how wonderful it was to be healthy and fit.
@ Sheri – That’s amazing!!!!! It truly is amazing to see how much a healthy lifestyle can improve health, reduce illness and use of meds…and in just as few as 12 weeks often!!!
Thanks so much for your story!!! I love it! AND, I’m so proud of your for making your changes!!