No More Excuses

I’m sure you’ve heard all of the reasons people give for being overweight: I have a thyroid problem, it’s my glands, I have big bones, it’s genetic. Well, now there are no more excuses (except the obvious ones of little exercise and poor diet). A new study found that “vigorous physical activity can help even people genetically prone to obesity keep the weight off.” The study found that those who had an obesity-related gene called FTO, but were very physically active, weighed about the same as others who did not carry the gene.

This doesn’t mean you now have the right to call your members liars or slackers, but it does give you more scientific evidence to back those claims you’ve been making for years: No matter what your genes say, exercise can and does help people keep their weight down.

Keep in mind that if your members really do have a medical condition that makes it difficult for them to keep the weight off, they will need to exercise more than the average person to do so. So, while some of your members may be lying about their “medical condition” in order to explain their weight, those who really have a medical condition will need a well-planned program, and lots of motivation, to help them reach their goals.