Have you ever looked at those lovely stretch marks and wish you had someone to blame?  How about your uncanny ability to sleep in past every alarm clock and your innate dislike for kale?

Luckily, some of those annoying traits can be blamed on genetics, but some you only have your own bad habits to blame.  Find out which are which below!

6 Surprising Things You Can Blame on Your Genes…

1. Stretch Marks

When all the cocoa butter in the world can’t save you from those annoying stretch marks, you can always blame your mom, your grandma, or your great-great-great…you get the idea.  In a recent article in Women’s Health, scientists performed a genetic study of thousands of women with severe pregnancy-related stretch marks.

They found that a mutation of the ELN gene (elastin) had a strong correlation to stretch marks.  This may mean there’s really nothing you can do to prevent stretch marks if you are genetically predisposed to them.  Oh well, they are outward reminders of the miracles you bring into this world.  Let’s call them baby kisses!

2. Crummy Eyesight

My mom told me if I crossed my eyes, I’d have to wear glasses.  Some people believe bad eyesight is a product of bad habits or environmental factors, but if you’ve ever been called “four-eyes” or been forced to wear glasses, your genes may be to blame.  An international team of scientists discovered 24 new genes that are associated with myopia and other eye disorders.  So go ahead, cross away!  Unless your eyes stick that way of course.

3. Your Picky Eating

Although a lot of finicky eating comes down to personal preference…a new study may blame genetics for your picky eating.  According to an article in Frontiers in Integrative Neuroscience, some people may have a variant of the taste receptor gene that makes them sensitive to bitter tasting foods like broccoli, kale, or spicy foods.  The taste receptor gene TAS2R38 may be to blame for your picky eating!  Tell that to your mom next time she tries to make you eat broccoli!

4. Sleeping in too long

If you repeatedly sleep in way past the morning news or the time they stop serving breakfast at your favorite food joint, according to research published in the journal Current Biology, you may be genetically predisposed to sleeping in longer than others.  But be warned; pitching that to your boss might not fly.

5. Being Called an “Air-Head”

Do you ever go upstairs to get something, only to forget what you’re looking for?  Do people ever call you an “air-head?”  Luckily, forgetfulness may have something to do with the genetics.  In the journal Neuroscience Letters, researchers claim that a variant of the dopamine d2 receptor gene has something to do with forgetfulness.  See, it wasn’t your hair color all along!

6. You can’t stand Mexican food

If you’ve ever been out to eat with friends or family who just can’t get enough tacos, enchiladas, or hues rancheros, and wondered “What’s wrong with me…that tastes revolting?”, you may be able to blame your aversion to Mexican food (or at least the cilantro used in many Mexican dishes) on genetics.  A new study reported by Nature reveals that a cluster of olfactory-receptor genes may be responsible for making cilantro smell like soap.  No wonder you don’t like tacos.

5 Things You Only Have Your Bad Habits To Blame

1. Wrinkles

Besides from getting old, early signs of wrinkles are proof of some bad habits.  Like too much UV light exposure, smoking, and frequent scowling.  Decrease those obnoxious signs of aging by wearing sunscreen, not smoking, drinking plenty of water, and trying to relax.  Smile wrinkles are totally acceptable!

2. Teeth that are anything but white

Drinking coffee, wine, soda, and even juice can permanently stain and damage teeth.  Other bad habits like smoking and chewing tobacco do a real number on your pearly whites…and not a good number.  If you’re not digging the color of your teeth, talk to your dentist about which bad habits to ditch.

3. Acne

This one’s actually a toss up.  Actually the biggest cause of acne is hormones.  But certain foods like dairy and carbohydrates might make acne worse.  So can stress.  So if you’re stressing or binging on carbs, some of your acne can only be blamed on your bad habits.

4. Saggy arms

It would be nice to blame those saggy arms on genetics, or even gravity, but arm flabbiness can only be attributed to aging and an inactive lifestyle.  Fight the flab with these arm-toning tricks!

5. Bloating, Belching, and…gas

These are all normal, human conditions that we can thank God and our mortality for.  But some people tend to struggle with it a lot.  And I mean, a lot.  Could excess gas be a genetic thing?  Like if your grandpa had bad gas, you will too?  Sadly no.  They Mayo Clinic assures that it is normal to pass gas from 6-20 times a day.  Any more than that and you might have to blame it on bad habits like the snacks you’re munching on or the beverages you just can’t kick.  We all pick our battles.

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So did these surprise you like they did me?  I sure wish I could blame my chocolate addiction on genetics.

It’s never too early or too late to work on replacing bad habits with GREAT ones! Check out some of our tips for kicking bad habits to the curb and introducing better ones:

Keeping New Year’s Resolutions – 5 Ways to Get Back on Track

Quick Fixes for your Child’s Dirty Habits

15 Top Tips for Setting and Achieving Goals