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collagen

You make me feel so young…..

Want to know the secret of looking and feeling younger? The answer is collagen. Learn it, live it, become obsessed with it. Collagen is your new best friend. Every day I make myself a smoothie where I add a scoop of collagen peptide (this is my favorite brand). If I am looking a little bit more ragged than normal, I add a pinch more for good luck. Living in such a polluted, stressful city I need all of the help I can get to stay youthful. It is true that New York ages you quicker. Excuse me while I whimper at this thought….

Collagen is a fibrous protein that is found in our bones, connected tissue, muscles, skin, blood vessels, and digestive system. It is the key to keeping the elasticity of our skin tight and toned by replacing dead cells and creating new ones. As we get older (especially after menopause) our collagen levels start to break down and are not as strong. If the protein is weak there can be health issues that will arise: wrinkles, fine lines, stretch marks, clogged arteries, weakened bones and tendons, weakened eye muscles, weakened muscle fibers, and so on. By boosting our collagen intake, we are keeping our bodies stronger and functioning properly as the protein is filled with non-esstenial amino acids (glycine, proline, and lysine). If you really want to get super protective of your collagen, add lots of Vitamin C to your diet as it protects and boost collagen.

There are many ways to help increase the collagen in your body; you can take it orally, apply it to your face, or use a machine that will lift and tone. I personally prefer to take it orally as I am someone who believes everything starts with your gut. It has also been proven that collagen works faster by drinking it than applying it via cream or serum. I say drink collagen and then look for a skincare product with Vitamin C in it. If you want more than one solution, I have 4 ways you can boost your collagen intake.

 

 

Apply Directly To Your Face

Incorporating collagen into our skincare products is somewhat of a new craze for the US. Like I said, I think it is better to look for products with Vitamin C on it than necessarily collagen products– but if you can find a product that has both than buy that one! I also make sure my face or eye mask have collagen in it. That always seems to give my skin an extra boost. Plus it’s fun to pampering myself by wearing masks– it is also fun to scare someone while wearing  beauty mask.. but that is a whole other post.

 

 

Drink It

Always start with your gut. This is my advice for everything! From acne, to inflammation, to diet, to digestive issues,  any other problems we may face, start with your gut– heal your gut. Our digestive system works in mysterious ways, it is the core to our bodies nutrients and functionality. What we put in our system has a great affect on us. Like I said I drink collagen peptide almost everyday. There is absolutely no taste to it. I do not notice it in my smoothie unlike some other protein powders that make you want to gag when drinking. I have had Dirty Lemon numerous times and find it to be pretty tasty as well. If drinking collagen makes you feel a little squeamish than take a supplement pill.

 

 

At Home Device

A quick fix,  non-injected, safe, botox at home device is a great way to tighten your skin before an event or night out. Although it may not be a permanent solution, it will help train your skin to stay uplifted. I have tried NuFace at a conference a year or so ago and really enjoyed it. The woman did one side of my face and I could instantly see a huge difference. Pretty cool to see and feel. She was only suppose to do one side of my face but I was not about to walk around feeling like my face was distorted…. no way. Another must have at home device is LED light therapy. I also have an at-home light therapy system that I used to use for my acne and acne scaring. It really works wonders! What LED light therapy does is safely targets dead cells on your skin to renew and stimulate collagen.

 

 

Eat Healthy Foods

Like I have said, everything starts with your gut. By eating Vitamin C rich foods you are helping to protect the collagen in your body, so it may renew dead cells and become stronger.

Foods to boost collagen:

Fish

Dark green vegetables

Red vegetables

Carrots

Berries

Soy

Citrus fruit

Tea

Protein like eggs and lean meats

Oysters

Bone broth

Avocado

Beans

 

 

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