Are Couch Potatoes Born or Made?

What drives a propensity for holding down the couch with your derriere? Does it stem from plain laziness, or could an inborn trait to purposely avoid physical activity be involved? (Never thought about it, did you?)

All of us need the (hopefully) occasional self-therapy session with an afternoon of chick flicks and a little something (hopefully) light to nibble. But, if you find yourself hopelessly lacking the motivation, or even practicing consistent avoidance to get up and get your booty in gear, the reason might be in your jeans…er, that is, your genes.

Actually, let’s reverse the question for the point of illustration: Is the inclination to be physically active learned or inherited? Researchers at the University of North Carolina think that they’ve found the answer—in about 23 different genetic locations. Together, these genes conduct a dance known as epistasis, which influences the brain to either send impulses that inspire the body to get moving, or to hear a different drummer altogether—the one that yearns to tap the buttons on the remote. Which track the brain takes determines how active a lifestyle you would normally lead without outside intervention. In short, you can be born a couch potato.

Now, before you call up mom or dad and berate them for passing on slacker genes to you, consider the value of learning this information and how it may empower rather than defeat you. For one thing, you can stop blaming yourself for not absolutely relishing time spent on a treadmill, or for lacking the ability to get choked up about crunches. Better yet, you can stop comparing yourself to your gym buddies, who all just happen to be stellar athletes (or just look like it). There. Your quality of life has improved already.

The next step toward taming the tendency to choose couch crashing over healthier activities is to over-ride the genetic blueprint that holds you back. Your brain is a powerful instrument, which only you can fine tune to deliver the desire to get—and keep—moving on a regular basis. How?We have some suggestions…

- Create a Wall of Honor that commemorates the days of the week that you went to the gym for a workout, stretched over a Pilates ball at home, or simply took the dog for a stroll. What the heck…keep a supply of gold stars on hand and stick ‘em to ya’.

- Write some appropriate affirmations that will help to keep you motivated to stay active. Then recite them—often.

- Keep a journal of your activities and log how you felt—before and after—completing them.

- Work out a reward system. For example, a daily 30-minute walk earns an hour of television—on the couch, no less.