//easy as your morning coffee
Who doesn't want luxurious hair, strong nails, & flawless skin?
I would argue that the majority of women strive to acheive this...and I think the strong population of nail salons, lash boutiques, and dermatologists can attest to this!
A few weeks ago, I posted a "poll" on my Instagram story story about Collagen, asking if anyone incorporates it into their morning routine, and I was so shocked to see the majority of people voted "What the heck is that?!" WHAT? How do my lady friends not know about this super easy beauty hack that is as easy as your morning coffee? Or smoothie...you know, whatever floats your boat. Point is - its easy, yall.
So, what the heck is Collagen?
Well, if you look it up on Wikiepedia, you'll find this darling explanation:
Collagen is the main structural protein in the extracellular space in the various connective tissues in animal bodies. As the main component of connective tissue, it is the most abundant protein in mammals, making up from 25% to 35% of the whole-body protein content. Collagen consists of amino acids wound together to form triple-helices to form of elongated fibrils. It is mostly found in fibrous tissues such as tendons, ligaments and skin.
As Michael Scott says, "Explain it to me like I am a 5-year-old". So, it's the most abundant protein we as humans have, making up about 1/3 of the protein in our body. It's responsible for giving our skin elasticy (hello, no sagging cheeks!), and it's the glue that holds our joints together (anyone familiar with that "creaking knee"?!) but the human body's collagen production starts decreasing, on average, around age 20. Age TWENTY, yall. I thought I was going to live forever and stay forever young at 20. I had no idea my body was working towards wrinkles yet!
What the heck does it do?
The reason that I started taking collagen was because I started utilizing Trim Healthy Mama recipes into my diet (an amazing lifestyle change that allows you to eat both carbs and fats, without guilt!) and one of the drinks is a Trimmy, which is basically coffee with collagen and sunflower lecithin, and MCT oil. Well...I started noticing that my eyelashes were getting noticeably longer...I would only put on one coat of mascara and they looked decent (if anyone knows me, I used a million different tubes of mascara with about 2 or 3 coats each. My cousin Amy taught me this trick early on in life, and I cannot do it any other way now!). So, I started reading about the different health benefits of these supplements...which is probably something I should have done prior to eating them, but hey...and I noticed that skin, hair, and joint/bone improvement were some of the top benefits. On top of this, I stopped being consistent with my supplements over the holiday season, and boy, could I tell a huge difference.
So let's go over a few of the major benefits:
Beautiful Skin
As I mentioned earlier, your body's natural collagen production starts to decline by age twenty. That is why we started noticing our skin sagging, and feeling more loose as we age. Having a collagen supplement can keep your cells rejuvenating properly which will keep your skin looking and feeling more firm, looking all "glowy & dewy" and effectively making those wrinkles harder to show up! Also has been known to reduce cellulite and stretch marks. Personally, I'm still waiting on those benefits, but my currently terrible eating habits aren't helping...so...yeah.
Stronger Bones
Collagen is one of the protein that helps build bones, so if your body slows down making it, your bones definitely take a hit. On top of that, the tissues that help our bones "glide" across each other are made of collagen. That's why we feel creaky as we get older. Increasing collagen in your diet will keep those bones strong and creaky-free!
Builds Muscle, Boosts Metabolism, Promotes Healing
Muscle burns fat, and because collagen can not only help build muscle (its a protein), it can help restore muscles, so that you don't lose muscles with age. It boosts metabolism as the collagen helps build other proteins, and maintains energy levels in the body. It promotoes healing because collagen forms the platform for skin & tissues connectivity.
Heals Leaky Gut
It's crazy how many things are connected, and lead back to, HAVING A HEALTHY GUT! Collagen can heal and restore your gut lining, which in turn can even help with losing weight and getting rid of those ridiculous sugar cravings! Yes, healing your gut can even change what you CRAVE to eat!
How can you help prevent your body's natural collagen production from slowing down...
Even if you are supplementing collagen, there are important lifestyle factors that can contribute to your body producing its own collagen production:
- Smoking
- Increased Sun Exposure
- High Sugar Diet
- Excessive Alcohol
How the heck do YOU use it?
Personally, I use Trim Healthy Mama's Collagen Powder (dairy free & grass fed), I normally buy it on Amazon Prime (because....free shipping, duhhh) and I use a scoop or two in my morning coffee. If I am having my evening Sleepy Time or Detox tea, I'll add a scoop in there! It is tasteless and dissolves easily, so it is quite honestly one of the most simple of my beauty routines.
If you want to read more about the science and the awesome impacts, check out Dr. Axe's article on it here. It is easy to read with tons of info!