Why does it feel like the toughest thing in the world to get up on a Saturday and hit the gym or to get off the couch and do the laundry? It's all in your genes, says a new study.

Scientists now claim a desire to keep fit and do regular exercise is hereditary, and the discovery means that in the future, drugs could be created to treat laziness in people by targeting the genes that cause it in the first place, reports The Daily Express.

The find could also help combat obesity. A study has already confirmed that a healthy diet with regular bouts of exercise is the best way to stave off cancer, heart trouble, diabetes and even Alzheimer's disease.

University of California Riverside researchers showed that mice bred to enjoy running produced offspring that also liked it, indicating the baby mice had inherited the trait of high activity.

"In humans, activity levels vary widely from couch-potato-style inactivity to highly-active athletic endeavours," said Professor of Biology Theodore Garland Jr.

With this discovery, "Down the road, people could be treated pharmacologically for low-activity levels through drugs that target specific genes that promote activity," he added.

The study will be published in this month's edition of Proceedings of the Royal Society B. (ANI)