I’m getting older, I’ve said it before – though I don’t much like thinking about it. But with this increased age, comes increased challenges in supporting my body in the different ways it needs to stay healthy, strong and young (physically, mentally and immunity wise).
Our skin’s the largest organ of our bodies and it’s basically the first thing people see when they look at you (besides your eyes of course – lol). One way I’ve especially seen my body age in the last few (stressful) years is with my skin. Wrinkles, dryness, dullness, bumps and so many more issues that I’m just not ready for yet. Though I am a huge promoter of drinking massive amounts of water (for stress, skin and general hydration and health), even that wasn’t helping me anymore.
Collagen is a major building block of our skin and it plays a huge role in strengthening it along with maintaining it’s elasticity and hydration. As we age, our bodies produce less and less collagen, which leads to dry, dull, wrinkly skin… (in comes collagen supplements)
ok so collagen is good for wrinkles, but what else can it do?
1. Collagen can help protect (cartilage, which is great news for anyone (who is getting older or those) who put a lot of pressure on their joints – like athletes, bikers and runners
2. On the topic of athletes, did you know that between 1–10% of muscle tissue is made up of collagen, so supplementing is important in keeping and building strong muscles
3. Collagen has been widely touted as a great supplement for strengthening hair and nails as well as it’s helping with growth
4. There are also some great studies out there that show gut health – especially leaky gut – can be improved with Collagen too. (This was a really big bonus for me, as it’s an issue that I’ve been dealing with on and off for years.)
my collagen experiments
There’s a number of different Collagen types (28 to be exact) and even more supplements on the market… and I wanted to make sure that as a strong (aging 😉 ) plant based athlete, I was getting one that was safe, organic, easily available for my body to use and could effortlessly be added to my daily routine. I wasn’t interested in bone broth or animal collagen (because I don’t consume meat products) and with the research I was doing plant based collagen didn’t seem enough for the results I was eager to see either.
So I planned on going the powder (not pill form – for ease of adding to drinks, smoothies and baking) and the marine (fish) route (because I do consume fish for protien and omegas) and I started trying a number of different brands out.
I did a number of trial and error testing over the next 3-4 months, and, disappointingly I wasn’t able to see many (or any) good results. This could very well have been due to the fact that I was using different brands, but I’m not totally convinced. In my trial (& errors), I found that most of the powders, when mixed in water, were pretty grainy and all of them had a very difficult taste to get use to. I started to add it to coffee and smoothies (to mask the taste and texture), but the aftertaste actually made me throw out my drinks (and eventually the entire product).
To be honest I was getting tired of drinking gritty bad tasting drinks. I take a lot of supplements and even I was second guessing the benefits that this terrible tasting stuff could do. If you want to know a secret – I was seriously looking into Botox treatments 😐 But…
the universe works in magical ways!
And that’s when a local Vancouver Island company (Good Life Juice) reached out to me with their all 100% Pure Wild-Caught Canadian Collagen.
I was thrilled (and nervous) to try another collagen out, but Instagram reviews looked good and I was already in love with their fresh pressed juices for my detoxes…. so I gave it a go.
To my total surprise this powder was not only wild caught, hydrolyzed, and without fillers (an indication to the companies high standards), but maybe even more importantly – it mixed clear into water and was tasteless! (you can’t tell me this isn’t HUGE – if you’ve ever tried a collagen you know!)
I was so excited that I immediately added it to my morning routine.
My Collagen Results
I’ve been using this collagen for 32 days now and the results I’ve noticed are beyond incredible. For starters, and for one of the main reasons I began looking into collagen, I’ve noticed a huge HUGE decrease in my forehead and eye wrinkles. As a sun worshipper and constant worrier my forehead hasn’t really had a fair chance. Not only do I notice the decrease, so do my friends 😉 (a sure sign it really does work).
One benefit I wasn’t really expecting was the calming of my gut. If you’ve followed me at all you’ll know I’ve dealt with gut issues (leaky gut) for many years. Sometimes my gut is calm and sometimes my gut likes to flare up (nasty little brat), but since the first week of taking GoodLifeJuice collagen (in the morning and on an empty stomach) I’ve noticed that it’s not as inflamed and angry at me. If you suffer from gut issues you’ll know how much of a life changer this can be. I’m not saying that daily collagen has cured my leaky gut – I do many additional things to help with that, but it’s definitely helped calm it a bit more than normal.
I would also say that there are little areas of my skin that have seen huge improvements since taking GoodLifeJuice collagen. You know those bumps on the inside of your knees (if you don’t it’s fine – we can still be friends). Well, I thought they were normal and just what everyone had…. turns out I was wrong! Same thing with the uneven feeling of my elbows and dryness of my heels (yes, even my feet saw a huge hydration improvement). But seriously, my skin feels supple, it needs less lotion (and that includes my face), I also think my neck may be coming to it’s senses and tightening up it’s act.
As for the power collagen can have with muscles, I’m not sure how to tell that it’s doing it’s thing. I’ve only started to workout consistently and increase the weights, but if it’s helping (at my age), I’m thrilled!
here’s the deal
Listen, here’s the deal. If you’re having issues with your skin (because your aging), or you want to strengthen and grow with your hair and nails. If you find that your gut issues could use a bit more support or you want an additional way to alleviate joint aches – then seriously consider a collagen supplement. I’m going to totally stand by the collagen that GoodLifeJuice makes, (and if you hit up my IG account right now there’s even a 30 day supply giveaway!) But whatever way you go, stay the course and good luck!
xox tamara