ALL ABOUT COLLAGEN The Protein That Holds Us Together
Even if you have heard of collagen, chances are you don’t know much about what it does for the human body. Collagen makes up a third of the body’s proteins. In some ways, it is the glue that holds our bodies together (the first part of “collagen” comes from the Greek word “kolla,” meaning “glue”). Getting your body to produce more collagen can have amazing health benefits, particularly for those who are aging and noticing more wrinkles.
amino acids, glycine and proline, combine. Vitamin C aids this process, so any foods with high concentrations of these nutrients help your body produce more collagen.
Egg whites are a great source of proline, along with foods like asparagus, cabbage, and dairy products. Additionally, pork skin, chicken skin, and gelatin all have high levels of glycine. If you want to get your vitamin C levels up, citrus fruits, bell peppers, and strawberries are tasty choices. Watch out for foods and habits that can damage your collagen production, like eating lots of refined sugar, exposing your skin to too much sunshine, and smoking. By adopting habits and diets that enhance collagen production, you can keep yourself looking younger and feeling better, even as you get older.
However, as we age, our bodies naturally produce less collagen, which contributes to thinner skin and wrinkles. Fortunately, there are certain foods and nutrients you can consume to boost your collagen production and keep your skin smoother and stronger for longer. Collagen begins in the body as procollagen, which is created when two
There are around 16 types of collagen proteins in the body, but type 1 collagen makes up roughly 90% of a person’s collagen count. Type 1 collagen gives structure to our tendons, bones, connective tissues, and skin. When we’re younger, our bodies produce enough collagen to keep our skin tight and strong.
STOP THE GUILT AND INVEST IN RELAXATION
Learn to Embrace Your Lazy Days
productive, which is a sign that we’re a valuable, contributing member of society. Making a point not to be busy feels selfish and lazy. If we have time to sit around and read a book for fun, we have time to work on that project or do a load of laundry. But the reality is that human beings need to be lazy from time to time. Otherwise, we’ll just crash and burn. Imagine that you’re training for a marathon. You wouldn’t run dozens of miles every single day from now until the race. You’d need to take recovery days so your body can heal. When you give your muscles a chance to heal, you’re able to run even better the next day. Lazy days are like recovery days for your brain. Your brain is like a muscle and it needs time to rest in order to run at full speed. If you feel guilty when you say you need to rest or relax, change your mindset by reminding yourself that you need to “recover.”
If you’re often tempted to check in on work even during off hours, knowing the importance of recovery days will make it more difficult to do so. Don’t just put your computer on sleep mode; log out of all work programs, turn the computer off, and move it to another room at the end of the day. Do you find yourself using your phone to check in on work? Delete work-related apps from your phone. The goal is to make it more difficult to work than it is to relax. It’s important to work hard toward your goals and to want to accomplish great things. But it’s equally important not to run yourself ragged every day. This month, make rest and relaxation as much of a priority as hard work. You’ll be surprised at how much more you’ll be able to achieve.
This month, we have two very important holidays to observe: Lazy Day on August 10 and Relaxation Day on August 15. Calling these holidays important may seem ridiculous to some, but at Wolf Retirement Navigation, we’re strong believers in the importance of rest and relaxation. Regardless of how hard we usually work, many of us feel guilty when we try to relax. Being busy means being
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