In the exercise world, a lot of terms are used by professionals and amateur exercisers. The headlines in the instant weight loss ads scream that you can "burn fat" with little or no effort. The aerobics instructor in the exercise class will try to motivate you by saying "let’s burn those calories by working harder".

So which is right? Can you burn fat with no effort or does it take a lot of effort or is the truth somewhere in between? The truth is the body gets some of its energy by accessing the energy which has been stored and the storage units include fat cells.

When you consume food, the nutrients include carbohydrates, fats and proteins. Your digestive system breaks down the food into a form that enables the body to store what it needs for survival. There is a complex process involved of course which includes the need for enzymes called lipases. That is why people with digestive problems often add enzyme supplements to their dietary plans.

Though the body will often rely on carbohydrates for energy, the goal of athletes and exercisers is to efficiently use fat stored in the body in addition to the carbs which power the central nervous system. Once the fat has been stored in what are called adipose cells, the body has a method it uses to access the broken down nutrients.

Fuelling the Body

Fat oxidation is a process which breaks down the fatty acids stored in the cells into a usable energy source. This source is called ATP and it is a major contributor to the ability of the muscle to contract while exerting force at the same time.

Fat oxidation is not dependent on fat consumption. It is more a factor in an energy equation because the amount of fat oxidized is in direct proportion to the amount of carbohydrates available for conversion to energy. When you want to reduce body fat or lose weight, you need to convince the body to release more energy from the adipose tissue cells first instead of seeking carbohydrate energy.

The rate of fat oxidation is a direct result of the amount of exercise you get and the rate of triglyceride release from the adipose tissue. Triglycerides are the fatty acids which result from the conversion of nutrition into usable elements as fat. The process of fat oxidation involves breaking down fats stored in the cells and converting them to either glycerol or fatty acids.

While glycerol is processed by the liver, the fatty acids are carried by the bloodstream throughout the body. That is where nutritional supplements such as the enzyme carnitine can be so beneficial to those wanting to increase fat oxidation in order to reduce fat in the body. Carnitine facilitates the transport of the fatty acids to cell mitochondria.

Improved Transportation System

Supplements including carnitine and other enzymes in addition to essential vitamins and minerals can help the body operate more efficiently all the way to the cell level. Fat oxidation is just one source of energy for the body, but it plays a critical role in weight maintenance and the ratio of fat to lean.

Since carnitine supplements can assist with the transport of fatty acids resulting from fat cell breakdowns to cell mitochondria, levels of energy producing ATP are enhanced as a result of the fat oxidation process. Vitamins, A, B, C and E in addition to glutamine supplements among others stoke that fat burning process so that you really are able to burn more calories, enhance your energy levels, and reduce your body fat at the same time.