Can You Massage Away Fat?

Well, this has to be one of the silliest things I've heard of in a long time. It seems that people are now trying to massage their fat away. Yes, that's right. This isn't a joke. People are actually claiming that massage therapy can get rid of fat. Every time I think the lengths people will go to to avoid dieting and exercising no longer amazes me, something like this pops up.

Before I even hit you with the facts, I want you to just ask yourself one simple question: How could getting a massage get rid of the fat in your body? Really think about that for a while. Really try to come up with a solid, scientific reason for how massage therapy could burn up or flush out body fat. Nothing?

The claim is that somehow getting a good massage "breaks up" your adipose tissue (fat) making it easier for your body to "flush it out." First of all, the human body does not flush out fat that it has created and stores, it saves it to be used as energy. When said fat is used to produce energy, it goes away. It really is that simple. If you want to get rid of some body fat, work harder or eat less, or do both.

Now, for the real science… The fact is, there is no real science on this topic. Studies have been conducted but not a single one has found any evidence to support the idea that massage therapy can promote fat loss. It can do other things for your health, which may or may not indirectly help you lose some weight, but no amount of massage therapy is going to directly get rid of the fat in your body.

So, to answer the question (as if I haven't already): Can you massage fat away? No. No, you cannot. Save your time and money (unless you really like getting massages) and don't fall for this gimmick. Instead, just do some real exercise and eat healthy. That's really all it takes.