By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    bowl of vegetable salad
    Raw Foods: benefits and harms
    November 9, 2021
    pros and cons of the keto diet
    Read This Before You Follow the Keto Diet
    May 18, 2022
    spinal cord injuries
    4 Potential Causes of Spinal Cord Injuries (and How to Seek Compensation)
    May 25, 2022
    Latest News
    7 Most Common Healthcare Accreditation Programs: Which Should You Use?
    August 20, 2025
    Hospital Pest Control and the Fight Against Superbugs
    August 20, 2025
    Hygiene Beyond The Clinic: Attention To Overlooked Non-Clinical Spaces
    August 13, 2025
    5 Steps to a Promising Career as a Healthcare Administrator
    August 3, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    TBI: Some Surprising Statistics
    February 9, 2016
    Your Keys to Safer, Even More Secure Healthcare Cloud Services
    January 13, 2015
    4 Career Options in Healthcare Industry that Combine Big Data & Healthcare
    February 5, 2021
    Latest News
    How Social Security Disability Shapes Access to Care and Everyday Health
    August 22, 2025
    How a DUI Lawyer Can Help When Your Future Health Feels Uncertain
    August 22, 2025
    How One Fall Can Lead to a Long Road of Medical Complications
    August 22, 2025
    How IT and Marketing Teams Can Collaborate to Protect Patient Trust
    July 17, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Is Genetics Behind Your Motivation to Exercise?
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > News > Is Genetics Behind Your Motivation to Exercise?
NewsWellness

Is Genetics Behind Your Motivation to Exercise?

Cate Palmer
Cate Palmer
Share
7 Min Read
SHARE

Today the world has become so fast that, squeezed between all the tasks at hand, we don?t have time to work on ourselves. Probably most neglected aspect is the care of our bodies. Physical exercise is an important factor for our health, but today it also has an important role in our image. That creates an even bigger pressure, as we look at people who work out every day like they are born for it. At the same time, sometimes we just feel we can?t get off our couch. Does that mean we?re not born for it? Can motivation to exercise depend on genetics? Some research suggests that emotional response to the workout can hide in our genes.

Contents
  • Pride and prejudice
  • Like father, like son
  • Under the microscope
  • No excuses – the conclusion

Pride and prejudice

The most common factor that boosts our motivation is the pride of our accomplishment. On the other hand, there?s disappointment. If you have a motivational problem, you should carefully monitor your feelings during and after the exercise. If you enjoy the exercise and consider it to be a pleasurable thing, it?s more likely that you?ll find the time to continue no matter how big your obligations are. But if there?s no accomplishment your motivation will tend to increase. It sounds pretty simple, but actually, this depends on the number of mature neurons in the nucleus accumbens which is the part of the brain responsible for reward processing. Basically, if you don?t have enough mature neurons in this part of the brain, you might not be able to feel the accomplishment. On the other hand, another important aspect is the reason why you started to workout in the first place. Did you engage voluntary, or are you pushed into it by demands of modern society? If you enter the exercise with prejudice, your mind won?t allow you to get results.

Like father, like son

Sometimes one one look at your parents is enough to think there?s just no point in exercising. If your father is a short man carrying the beer-belly around there?s not a chance you could turn into an athlete. In order to put that theory to a test, scientists conducted a series of experiments on lab rats. They?ve interbred rats in order to create two very distinct groups – those who love to run and those who don’t. They noticed that family members, particularly twins, tend to exercise as their parents or siblings do, even if they didn?t grow up together. So they decide to compare their bodies, brains, and DNA.

  • Brains

Rats that were ill or simply overweight, who had a poor muscle quality or any other physiological obstruction we?re not interested in running. That was a pretty obvious conclusion – if you?re couch-potato, you stay on the couch.

More Read

DVT Awareness Month: What You Need to Know About the Potentially Fatal ‘Sitting Disease’
4 Critical Links Between Good Oral Health and Overall Health
A Beginner’s Guide To CBD: Everything You Need To Know
Lifestyles Cause Most Serious Disease and Deaths
Health Accountability Coach: Your Partner for Lasting Wellness
  • Bodies

After ten generations of rats they produced, scientists expected to find substantially different builds between the runners and the lazy ones. But except the fact that lazy rats were slightly heavier, they found none.

  • DNA

While comparing the activity of thousand genes in the nucleus accumbens we mentioned above, they found that many genes differ between two groups. Although this sounds interesting, it?s not yet proven whether the same genes are involved in people.

Under the microscope

After the animal experiments like that one with the rats in the section above, scientist continued to monitor human behavior concentrated on genes. While nothing is completely proven yet, there are interesting cases where we can see that genes maybe do have something with motivation after all.

  • Transmission halt

When you exercise, you boost levels of a neurotransmitter called dopamine into the brain which, among other things, improves your mood and stimulates pleasurable feelings. Studies have shown that there are people who can?t get this sensation of pleasure because some of their genes interfere with the release of dopamine.

  • Twins

In 2006 the research was conducted between identical and fraternal twins. The answers were still partial – they only showed that the motivation to exercise is more similar regarding identical ones, due to the completely same genetic makeup.

  • Pain & Pleasure

In 2007 the scientist focused on the BDNF gene that influences the growth of new brain cells as well as skeletal muscles through the nervous system. They discovered that it has a lot to do with voluntary movement and that his presence (or the lack of it) can influence our motivation to exercise. The form of this gene inside us dictates the type of mood we?re in during or after the exercise. Nevertheless, it?s hard to separate this from a typical psychological barrier.

No excuses – the conclusion

After various research, all the scientists agreed in one thing – genetic profiles will never be destiny. Their discoveries are not meant to be an excuse to stay on the couch, even it?s in your nature to do so. You can always change your nature. For example, what you wear during the exercise can have a great impact on how you feel during the workout. Experts from Metas Athletic can help you dress for the part. Then invest in some good quality exercise equipment and make the world your playground.

TAGGED:exercisefitnessgeneticshealthy lifestyleobesity
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share
By Cate Palmer
Biologist by day and writer by night. My fields of expertise could be summed up to neurobiology and psychology. My interests are, on the other hand, wide and ever-evolving.

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

engineer fitting prosthetic arm
How Social Security Disability Shapes Access to Care and Everyday Health
Health care
August 20, 2025
a woman explaining the document
How a DUI Lawyer Can Help When Your Future Health Feels Uncertain
Public Health
August 20, 2025
physiotherapist at work
How One Fall Can Lead to a Long Road of Medical Complications
Health care
August 20, 2025
Common Healthcare Accreditation Programs
7 Most Common Healthcare Accreditation Programs: Which Should You Use?
Health News
August 20, 2025

You Might also Like

workout foods
Wellness

Workout Fuel: The Best Foods to Eat Pre- and Post-Workout [INFOGRAPHIC]

August 31, 2013
SpecialtiesWellness

The Surprising Connection Between the Microbiome and Childhood Development

July 30, 2018
FinanceHome HealthWellness

Why Meal Planning Is Good for Your Budget & Your Health

July 29, 2019

US FTC Commissioner Doubts Benefits of ACOs

November 20, 2011
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?