This Mother's Day, be sure to thank your mom for everything she has given you. All the love, all the affection, all the attention one person could ever ask for. But, there may be one thing your mom has given you that, if you had a say in the matter, you may have respectfully declined: her overweight genes.

Well, mom isn't completely to blame for this; dad's weight factors in equally. An article in Muscle & Body magazine points to a British study suggesting that you have a 75 percent chance of being overweight if both of your parents are. Specifically, it seems that the accumulation of body fat and waist circumference are very hereditary, whereas environmental factors played a far more limited role.

Does this mean you're doomed to be heavy if your parents are? I wouldn't say doomed. Not at all, actually. Predisposed? Perhaps. But that doesn't mean that you can't do anything to change what would appear to be your fitness fate. Regular exercise and eating a healthy diet will work just as well for you to stay fit as it will for someone whose parents are quite lean, so don't even think about counting yourself out before the race even starts.