Tell Your Cells to Burn Fat

On the one hand, weight loss is easy: take in fewer calories than normal (or burn more than you take in). But we all know weight loss, particularly long-term, healthy weight loss, can be much more challenging, which is why more than 40 percent of adults are considered obese (based on BMI) in the U.S. alone.

Is weight loss as simple as telling your cells to burn fat? According to new research, exercise – specifically resistance training – actually motivates your cells to activate their fat-burning capabilities. Resistance activity appears to prompt skeletal muscle cells to release particles called extracellular vesicles, which "promote metabolic adaptations in adipose tissue" – in other words, fat-burning! Findings appear in FASEB Journal, a research publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology.

What is resistance exercise? Think bodyweight, bands, free weights, etc. Calisthenics and plyometrics also count; any activity that forces your muscles to contract against resistance (as opposed to aerobic exercise such as jogging).