Beach body season has ended in most parts of the country, but that doesn’t mean it’s time to slack on your fitness journey or your goals. If you worked hard to get into peak physical shape this summer, you don’t want to waste that time and effort by letting yourself go in the fall. If you’ve made significant strides but come up short of your fitness goals, you probably want to keep the momentum going and be in your best shape before next summer.
No matter where you are on your fitness journey, you might need some new supplements to aid your progress. If you aren’t using collagen powder, you likely aren’t aware of the many potential ways it can help your fitness journey. If so, keep reading to learn four ways collagen can help your fitness journey this fall. Longevity Live Paid Content.
What is collagen?
According to the United States National Library of Medicine, collagen is a combination of protein molecules. It has an ideal structure for your bones, skin, tendons, and ligaments. Surprisingly, it is the most common protein in the human body. Because of its unique structure and characteristics, it has several functions throughout the body.
How Can Collagen Support Your Fitness?
1. Collagen supports your bones and can soothe joint pain
Collagen’s matrix allows it to maintain some flexibility while also providing the rigidity necessary to maintain the structure in load-bearing tissues, such as bones, tendons, and ligaments. As a result, collagen can help soothe joint pain. Your joints, tendons, and ligaments work in unison for your body to move easily. If something isn’t 100%, the resulting discomfort can hinder your fitness journey.
2. Collagen supports skin health
Collagen also has the ideal matrix to support healthy skin, including its elasticity. A proper amount of collagen can help with hydration for the appearance of more youthful-looking skin. You may not think your skin is the most critical aspect of your fitness journey, but most people work out to look better. Youthful-looking and well-hydrated skin will help with your appearance.
In addition to your skin, collagen supports the health of your hair and nails because they are all part of the same system. Your body produces less collagen as it ages, and the total amount in your body decreases around the age of 40. Many people use collagen powder or other products to combat the body’s natural depletion.
3. Collagen may support your digestive system and other parts of the body
Some of the amino acids in collagen can help support a healthy digestive system. Specifically, glycine is an amino acid that helps regulate the production of stomach acid. Glycine has also been connected to the human body, building up muscle mass and lean tissue.
For this reason, many people eat foods or use collagen powder to help boost collagen production. Foods include fruits that are high in vitamin C, such as oranges, strawberries, and grapefruits. If you prefer greens, kale, cabbage, and spinach are some other options that can aid collagen production.
More studies are needed to measure collagen’s significance to a healthier digestive system, but many proponents claim it helps them feel fuller. They also point to it as a way to support weight loss and weight management.
4. Collagen supports healthy vital organs on your fitness journey
Collagen can be a key element of your body, supporting healthy arteries and organs. Healthy arteries help maintain a healthy heart and blood pressure. Arteries need to maintain their flexibility and elasticity to most effectively transport blood throughout the body.
Some proponents of collagen supplements also claim they support a healthy brain, but more research is needed in this area. Part of that claim is that collagen impacts hormones related to stress, which is why you might hear that it can help reduce anxiety and lead to better sleep. Glycine, which we mentioned earlier, is also part of the body’s process to excrete toxins. Because of this, some say that collagen supports healthy liver function.
Conclusion
Fall is a difficult time to keep the momentum going in your fitness journey. With it getting darker earlier and temperatures drastically dropping, autumn can impact your workout routine in a lot of ways. Additionally, if you’ve been working out for a while, you might be looking for something new to add to your strategy. Collagen powder may be the change you are looking for based on the reasons we just examined. If you haven’t explored collagen as a supplement, consider adding it as a tool to help your fitness journey this fall.
