FitnessFixation has a good, forthright post up, Why You May Never Have a Six-Pack. But as much as I enjoyed the post, and as much as I think genetics play a role, I do feel genetics can, in many cases, be overcome. There's the Larry Bird argument, of course (he never seemed to me overburdened with tremendously athletic genes, although he was tall). And it's true that no matter how much I train my arms, and how hard I flap, I'll never be able to fly like a bird. But I don't think having the body that you want quite falls into the same category as the true immutables. It reminds me of something I read recently and blogged about on my other site, DNA is Not Destiny. If you click through and read my excerpt, be sure to click through again and read the whole article. Fascinating stuff.
Or, to quote the greatest animated movie ever, The Iron Giant, "you are who you choose to be. Choose."
(That said, I wouldn't obsess over the six-pack quest, and if thinking it's impossible helps you not obsess, go right ahead and think that. And FF might be right, I certainly haven't studied this stuff.)
From DNA is not Destiny by Ethan Watters (emphasis added):
In recent years, epigenetics researchers have made great strides in understanding the many molecular sequences and patterns that determine which genes can be turned on and off. Their work has made it increasingly clear that for all the popular attention devoted to genome-sequencing projects, the epigenome is just as critical as DNA to the healthy development of organisms, humans included. Jirtle and Waterland's experiment was a benchmark demonstration that the epigenome is sensitive to cues from the environment. More and more, researchers are finding that an extra bit of a vitamin, a brief exposure to a toxin, even an added dose of mothering can tweak the epigenome--and thereby alter the software of our genes--in ways that affect an individual's body and brain for life.
The even greater surprise is the recent discovery that epigenetic signals from the environment can be passed on from one generation to the next, sometimes for several generations, without changing a single gene sequence. It's well established, of course, that environmental effects like radiation, which alter the genetic sequences in a sex cell's DNA, can leave a mark on subsequent generations. Likewise, it's known that the environment in a mother's womb can alter the development of a fetus. What's eye-opening is a growing body of evidence suggesting that the epigenetic changes wrought by one's diet, behavior, or surroundings can work their way into the germ line and echo far into the future. Put simply, and as bizarre as it may sound, what you eat or smoke today could affect the health and behavior of your great-grandchildren.
