For most of my life, whenever I struggled with my weight, skipped workouts, or noticed my hair thinning, I reached for the same explanation:
“It’s in my genes.”
Those four words became my safety blanket – and my excuse.
Being overweight runs in my family.
My grandmother and mother both had very little hair.
So, every time I looked in the mirror and didn’t like what I saw, I reassured myself:
This is just how things are for us.
This is how I’m meant to be.
There’s nothing I can do about it.
On the surface, it sounded like acceptance.
But underneath, it was something else entirely.
“It’s in my genes” gave me an out. It meant I didn’t have to change habits, challenge beliefs, or take responsibility for my health.
If my story was already written in my DNA, then why bother trying to rewrite it?
It kept me comfortable.
And it kept me stuck.
This was my story for many years until I realized that yes, genetics may influence my habits.
But they don’t dictate my choices.
Being predisposed is not the same as being powerless.
And slowly, my inner dialogue began to shift from:
“It’s in my genes.”
to
“Maybe there’s something I can do.”
Instead of assuming weight loss was impossible for me, I began learning about nutrition, movement that felt good for my body, and small sustainable habits instead of all-or-nothing thinking.
Instead of accepting hair loss as inevitable, I allowed myself to be curious. I explored treatments, lifestyle changes, and options that could support growth.
I stopped treating my genes as a verdict
and started treating them as information.
The biggest change wasn’t in my body.
It was in my thinking.
I don’t approach this journey with pressure, shame, or urgency.
I approach it with:
• curiosity instead of resignation
• compassion instead of criticism
• responsibility instead of helplessness
I am not fighting my genetics.
I am partnering with my future.
I’m still learning. Still experimenting. Still discovering what supports my health – physically, mentally, and emotionally.
But now, when I look at the patterns in my family, I don’t say:
“It’s in my genes – there’s nothing I can do.”
Instead,
“It may be in my genes – but I still have choices.”
And this year, my journey is about honoring my body, rewriting old stories, and choosing empowerment over limitation.
Because genetics may influence my path…
But I’m the one who walks it.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“My genes may draw the outline of my life, but I’m the one who chooses the story that fills it.”
Emy Fernandez, Certified Life Coach
