CG Fitness: Personal Training, Nutrition & Yoga

Happy Friday my friends!! January is already gone and February is almost halfway gone! Time sure does fly by when you’re having fun! At least I hope you have been having fun! Life is too short to not have fun! Speaking of having fun…do you remember the game you played as a kid “The Floor is Lava” or “Lava on the Floor”? Whatever you called it…the name of the game was that you couldn’t touch the floor otherwise you would get burned by the lava. LOL I used to love this game as a kid…I would jump from one piece of furniture to the next and I would make it from one end of the room to the other end without touching the floor…such a fun game. Why am I mentioning this game? Well, I recently played it as an adult…but added in some fun yoga poses!

I love acting like a kid and hope I always do. If we ever decide to have kids, I want to be healthy and fit so I can run around and play with them…and maybe even play The Floor is Lava with them lol. So, in order to stay healthy and fit I make sure that I eat healthy and exercise. Now, I know that I don’t always get all the nutrients my body needs which is why I’m such an avid supplement user (healthy supplements that is). Supplements are my favorite life hack! (Oh…and getting upside down daily is also great for your body, mind and soul!)

One supplement I have really been enjoying lately as a part of my healthy routine is Great Lakes Gelatin Collagen Hydrolysate. I’ve talked about the health benefits of collagen previously, but to recap:

• Scientists have discovered that hydrolyzed collagen can provide the missing nutritional links to aid in the body’s ability to repair connective tissue, bones, tendons, ligaments, cartilage, blood cells, skin, tissue, hair and nails.
• Hydrolyzed collagen is a unique combination of amino acids that can promote healing and conditioning over other protein, especially for bone and joint health care.
• What makes this product unique are the high amounts of Amino Acids – Alanine, Glycine and Proline – that you won’t find in other protein supplements. The same collagen which is found naturally in your bones, skin and cartilage can be replenished with hydrolyzed collagen. This bioactive product contains 92% protein and is easily assimilated by the human body.
• Hydrolyzed collagen promotes cell growth which produce synovial fluids that first lubricate joints and then build tissue.
• Glycine content of collagen assists the liver in handling foreign substances for individuals exposed by habit or occupation to toxic substances like chemicals, pollutants, alcohol or tobacco.
• You might start noticing the benefits of collagen like: feeling of alertness, improved concentration, balanced mood, improved energy and increased sense of well-being.
• Hydrolyzed Collagen differs from gelatin as it will dissolve in cold, warm, or hot liquids and will not congeal when chilled. This feature allows taking a high protein product in a convenient way that suits your needs.

Factors That Decrease Collagen Production

1) UV Radiation Decreases Collagen Production
2) Vitamin C Deficiencies Decrease Collagen Production
3) Smoking Decreases Collagen Production
4) Stress and Lack of Sleep Decreases Collagen Production
5) High Blood Sugar and Diabetes Decreases Bone Quality

Life Hacks with GLG:

1. Add it to your pre-workout drink. Collagen Hydrolysate doesn’t have any taste…so I love adding a scoop right into my morning pre-workout drink.
2. Drink a glass of lukewarm water with lemon and collagen (and cayenne pepper, if you dare) first thing every morning.
   This morning drink gets your organs going, and fresh lemon juice and cayenne pepper both have major anti-fungal, immune boosting, and detoxification properties. Plus, lemon juice is nature’s best tool for aiding in digestion and regularity, destroying bacteria and cleansing the system. Basically, this is the zero-sugar version of the spicy lemon drinks you can buy from various cleanse brands. There’s some evidence that certain amino acids found in collagen—in particular, one called glycine—may reduce GI inflammation, aid digestion, and help resolve the condition known as leaky gut syndrome.
3. Get the Collagen Endurance Plus packets and take your workout on the go! These packets give you energy and protein which make a great pre and post workout drink!
4. Amp up your overnight oats! Add a scoop of Collagen Hydrolysate to your overnight oats for a yummy anti-aging and protein packed
5. breakfast! Overnight oats are one of my fav life hacks because you can make 5 of them in one night then have breakfast ready all week!
6. Collagen Coffee. Add a scoop of collagen right into your morning cup o’joe. You can even take the Collagen Hydrolysate packets with you to work or to the coffee shop. These packets are another favorite life hack that make getting your collagen intake super convenient.
7. Collagen Cookies. Add a scoop of collagen into your baked goods. It’s flavorless so you won’t even know it’s there and it will add an extra boost of nutrition to your cookies and brownies.
8. Collagen Greens. I know I don’t always eat enough greens…as much as I try…which is why I love drinking my greens and adding collagen right into my greens drink doesn’t altar the taste and gives me a double-whammy of nutrition in one drink.

What I love about Great Lakes Gelatin Collagen Hydrolysate:

• Their 1 pound can is 95% biodegradable and offers better protection than plastic containers.
• Their collagen comes from remote areas near the Andes Mountains where the cattle graze freely on the natural grasslands.
• Great Lakes Gelatin never finds insecticides, pesticides, herbicides, steroids, antibiotics or hormones in their collagen or gelatin.
• GLG has been producing the world’s finest quality collagen and gelatin since their inception in 1922.
• Great Lakes Gelatin’s passion shows in their continued research on the role of collagen in human diseases such as Osteoarthritis and Osteoporosis. They continually study the current and potential future benefits collagen produces for cartilage, tendons, and yes, bones. Currently, they are conducting an advanced research study on how collagen can benefit bone density.
• I love their new products: Collagen Endurance and Collagen Endurance Plus as they fit perfectly in my fitness lifestyle. These two give me energy from Vitamin B as well as antioxidants that protect my cells during intense exercise.

So, if you are looking for ways to add in more protein into your diet, improve your skin, bones, hair, & joints…then I recommend that you start adding in collagen into your diet. If you’re like me, you might not see results right away, but keep at it and know that you are doing something healthy for your body…even if you don’t see it.

Use code GLGLife20 for 20% off Great Lakes Gelatin products. This code expires March 15, 2018.

Join me today on Facebook as I’ll be going LIVE to talk more about my favorite ways to use Collagen from Great Lakes Gelatin! https://www.facebook.com/healthyfitandbarefoot/

Disclaimer: Great Lakes Gelatin & Sweatpink sponsored this review, however all thoughts and opinions are my own

Stay Healthy my Friends!

XO,

Carrie A Groff