When my fitness trainer suggested that I start taking fish oil as a dietary supplement, I made a face that made her laugh. “You don’t actually have to swallow the oil,” she smiled, explaining that I could take supplements. Of course, I knew this already but the very idea of purposely swallowing fish oil still turned me off.

Nevertheless, I’ve had only positive experiences with this fitness trainer so I was open minded enough to listen to what she had to tell me about. She explained the benefits of fish oil for my workout routine and gave me some resources to learn more about it. One of the main things that I learned is that fish oil is considered to be one of the best sources of Omega 3, the fatty acids that my friends and I have come to refer to as “the good fats”. Omega 3 is reported to have a number of different health benefits from improved health of the heart to reduction of memory loss in people as they age. And of course I’m concerned about all of that but the reason that I really know about Omega 3 is because it’s an important part of my weight loss and workout program. I didn’t really understand at first how consuming a fat could possibly be good for my weight loss routine. But then I did some reading up about how Omega 3 works in the body and learned all about how these kinds of “good fats” can actually improve the way that the body burns off fat calories. So they not only burn themselves away but also assisting in burning off the other fat calories in the body which means that your fat-burning efficiency is improved and you lose weight. Of course, my first inclination was to add fattier foods back into my diet, thinking that I could make up for it by consuming Omega 3 but it doesn’t work that way. I want to keep a good weight loss program going so I still have the self-discipline of my diet and exercise routine. It’s just supplemented a bit by the added boost of the Omega 3. I was excited to learn about the way that Omega 3 can help my weight loss. I like the idea of a little bit of added help with burning off the fat. And I was glad to learn that the way that Omega 3 balances out my blood sugar levels and controls my appetite will further improve its effects. It's easy to incorporate fish oil into your workout and exercise routine - learn how you can boost your weight training diet. But I was most excited to find out that Omega 3 is found to also boost your energy levels when exercising. That means that I can get a better workout which I enjoy more while also increasing my weight loss capacity. Since I was already sold on Omega 3, it wasn’t a far stretch to be sold on fish oil which is one of the best sources of these good fats. Only two things had me somewhat hesitant. First of all, I’d read a lot about the pollution that can cause the fish which are rich in Omega 3 to also be filled with toxic substances. And secondly, I’ve been seriously considering switching over to a vegan diet which would make fish oil an impossibility for me. I brought the concerns up with my fitness trainer. After jibing me with, “you’re just trying to get out of taking fish oil”, she explained that there are some concerns out there about the pollution levels in fish but that supplements are generally tested for toxicity levels. Those supplements that are approved for weight loss and workout routines are said to be safe. As for the vegan issue, she said that there are vegan alternatives to fish oil that I can consider if I want to go that route. So even though I insisted on doing my own research, I found that – like always – my fitness trainer is probably right about the benefits of fish oil. Find published study results about the use of fish oil here.