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Immune Support Supplements - Vitamins for Immune System
Understanding how to improve your immune system is important in helping your body to defend against toxins, pathogens, bacteria, and viruses. Finding different ways to keep your immune system healthy year-round is a great way to avoid many infections and diseases. Following a healthy lifestyle by staying active, getting plenty of sleep, and consuming nutritional food are key aspects of maintaining a healthy immune system. Additionally, including supplements and vitamins can also provide immune support and protect yourself against illnesses. However, it's important to know that over-the-counter or prescription medications can potentially interact with supplements. Reaching out to your doctor is always recommended before taking vitamins for your immune system. Here are a few well-known supplements and vitamins that can help you maintain a healthy immune system. Elderberry Sambucus elderberry has often been used to treat infections, and health researchers are now studying its impact on the immune system. Test-tube studies show that elderberry extract shows potent antiviral and antibacterial support against pathogens causing the influenza virus and upper respiratory tract infections. These elderberry benefits have also been shown to improve the immune system response and lessen the duration of colds and viral infections. Additional research and studies are needed to understand these elderberry benefits further. Elderberry supplements are often available for purchase in a capsule or liquid form. Vitamin C Often taken to help the immune system fight off infections. Using Vitamin C supplements can decrease the severity and duration of upper respiratory tract infections, such as the common cold. Vitamin C also acts as a powerful antioxidant, as it protects against damages caused by oxidative stress, which happens with the accumulation of free radicals. Most supplement daily doses for Vitamin C range anywhere between 250 to 1,000 mg, while the upper limit is 2,000 mg. Reaching out to your doctor is important in helping you determine your optimal dosage. Vitamin D Plays an essential role in the immune defense against pathogens. Low levels of Vitamin D are associated with a greater risk of upper respiratory tract infections, such as allergic asthma and influenza. Taking Vitamin D supplements is a great way to boost your immune system naturally, as many people lack Vitamin D due to staying indoors most of the time. A Vitamin D dosage can range anywhere from 1,000 to 4,000 IU per day for most people. However, anyone with a significant deficiency of Vitamin D will require even higher doses. A healthcare professional can determine the optimal dose to meet your needs best. Zinc Zinc is a type of mineral that's often added to supplements and healthcare products to help provide immune support. Immune communication and cell development aren't possible without zinc. Zinc also plays a key role in preventing foreign pathogens from entering the body. A lack of zinc significantly impacts your immune system, which increases the risk of disease and infection. Nearly 2 billion people worldwide have a zinc deficiency, as this condition is relatively common in older adults. Choosing to take zinc supplements over the long-term is often safe for most people if the daily dose amount is less than 40 mg of elemental zinc. There are many supplements you can take to naturally boost immune-health, but if you choose good quality supplements you’ll only need 1 or 2 different products. Here are a couple of the most popular vitamins and supplements for a healthy immune system offered by Body Kitchen. Nordic Elder-Shield Sambucus elderberry benefits the immune system in various ways, as it's often used as the main ingredient in many different supplements. Body Kitchen's Nordic-Elder Shield uses an optimal formula for supporting antibacterial and antiviral effects. The 27:1 ratio equals consuming 27 grams of elderberries, as this offers a higher lectin content to provide support in fighting against pathogens that are harmful to the immune system. They also use a non-chemical extraction process that allows all sugars to be removed from the formula while retaining the important components. Vitamin C-Shield Body Kitchen also offers Vitamin C-Shield as it provides an immunity boost with 1,000 mg of non-gmo Vitamin C in one dose. This powerful immune support supplement works great with collagen formulas that can increase skin moisture. Dihydroquercetin and a patented form of Black Pepper Extract are also included in Vitamin C-Shield for optimal immune system response and to improve nutrient absorption. The immunity formula provides additional protection for daily exposure to unfavorable factors that can weaken the immune system and cause harm to the body. This makes an excellent daily Vitamin C supplement. Closing Thoughts Understanding how to improve immunity is critical to living a healthy lifestyle. Taking vitamins for the immune system can be beneficial in preventing illness. Sambucus elderberry is a popular option for many people, as an elderberry supplement is a great way to lessen the duration of colds and viral infections. Vitamin C and Vitamin D supplements can also play a key in providing immune support. Eating a well-balanced diet, getting regular exercise, and plenty of sleep are also important aspects of living a healthy lifestyle.
Vitamins for Hair Growth - How to Grow Hair Faster
Let's face it, we'd all like thicker, healthier hair. Whether you're trying to get your hair to grow longer or just want a fuller head of hair, you've probably tried all sorts of products to help you reach your goal. Special shampoos, conditioners, hair masks, oils to massage into your scalp -- the list is endless. While these products can certainly improve the appearance of your hair, they all have one thing in common: they can only have a superficial effect. Hair products can put a smoother coating on your hair, giving it more shine and body. What they can't really do is improve its actual structure. That comes from within. The best thing you can do for your hair is improve your nutrition. This is where collagen peptides can help. Collagen Peptides and Hair Growth Your hair's health depends on the health of your hair follicles -- special structures in your skin that turn proteins into hair strands. If your hair follicles aren't healthy, they can't produce strong, silky hair. To produce the healthy hair you want, two things need to be in place. One, your body needs to have what it needs to keep your hair follicles in good shape. Two, you need the right nutrition in your diet for your body to produce the proteins that makes up your hair strands. When you consume collagen, your body immediately goes to work on breaking it down and converting it into amino acids. It then uses these amino acids to build its own proteins. The two key proteins involved in hair growth are collagen itself and another form of protein called keratin. Collagen is a protein found throughout the human body. It's particularly abundant in your skin. If you're not producing sufficient collagen, you'll see effects such as sagging skin and wrinkles. What's happening is that the collagen in the deeper layers of your skin isn't being replenished, meaning that they break down and become less resilient. Something similar happens to your hair follicles. These also need collagen and can't function properly if you're not producing enough. Keratin is another important protein. It's a harder, stronger protein that's used to make up your fingernails and the structure of your hair. To produce this protein, your body needs a ready supply of the amino acids that form its building blocks. Collagen is made up of three important amino acids: proline, glycine, and hydroxyproline, with proline being the most important for building keratin. While these amino acids are some of those produced by your body, it can be very helpful to get more from external sources. You can improve levels of these amino acids by consuming more collagen. See Body Kitchen’s KERATIN ENRICH Premium Hair & Nail Protein, fortified with one of the industry’s most reputable keratin patent - Cynatine HNS®. This product is HIGHLY effective because it delivers 500mg of direct keratin protein. As we get older, it becomes harder for the body to produce collagen and other proteins. You can help your body by supplying it with additional amino acid sources. Collagen peptides are a great source. They're highly bioavailable, meaning that the collagen is easy for your body to break down and absorb. By adding collagen to your diet, you can improve not just your hair and nails, but your skin, joints, circulation and even your gut health. Other Ways Collagen Peptides Can Help As well as making up many of your body's tissues, collagen can also have antioxidant-like effects. Since free radical damage to your cells can impact hair growth, an antioxidant can be helpful. If your hair has started graying, especially premature gray, collagen may help by reducing the free radical damage. Vitamins for Hair Growth If you're wondering how to make your hair grow faster, the key is balanced nutrition. Ideally, we'd all be getting this from a healthy and varied diet. Alas, we don't live in an ideal world. It's not always easy to get the nutrients you need for optimal hair growth from your daily diet, especially if you're a busy person who doesn't have time to cook every day. Supplementing your diet with additional vitamins and minerals can really help. Some of the most important vitamins for hair growth are B vitamins and vitamin D. You may also benefit from additional vitamin A and vitamin C, especially if your diet isn't very high in fresh fruits and vegetables. Minerals that are important for hair and nails include zinc and copper. A lack of zinc in your diet can lead to weaker nails and hair that breaks easily, making it harder to grow. Other Ways to Grow Hair Faster It's important to trim your hair regularly if you're trying to grow it. This might seem counter-intuitive -- why cut your hair if you want it to grow longer? -- but if you don't trim your hair, the ends can become damaged. These split ends can cause the hair to break. You should aim to trim away about half of each month's growth. Avoid harsh hair treatments. Opt for gentle vegetable dyes and use styling methods that don't involve high heat or strong chemicals. Treat yourself to a regular scalp massage. This improves circulation. Castor oil is traditionally used to encourage hair growth; you could consider using this as part of your massage routine.
Does Collagen Break a Fast?
What is intermittent fasting? Intermittent fasting has become increasingly popular in recent years. The concept is simple yet revolutionary: by restricting meals to a specific period each day and fasting the rest of the time, you can encourage your body's natural healing processes and improve your overall health. Intermittent fasting, or IF, isn't just about weight loss (although many people find they lose weight while practicing IF). Instead, it's about kicking your body's cells into a higher gear, helping to boost your metabolism, improve healing and support your immune response. There are many different kinds of intermittent fasting, but they all use the same basic framework: eating only during a set period and fasting. The exact time periods may vary, as can the strictness of the fast. Many people starting IF often ask whether or not nutritional supplements break the fast, disrupting the positive effects and derailing the healing process. For example, will taking collagen break a fast when practicing IF? The Fasting Period During the fasting period, IF practitioners all agree, you should avoid consuming any calories. Some people go so far as to fast completely, including refraining from water, but most IF proponents don't go that far. Many drink calorie-free fluids during their fast, including tea and coffee. Of course, you can't have milk or sugar in your beverages -- even sweeteners can have a few calories, which technically places them off-limits during your fast. The length of the fasting interval varies from practitioner to practitioner. Some use alternate-day fasting, where they'll eat normally one day and eat nothing or a small 500-calorie meal the next. Others follow a 5:2 pattern, where they'll eat a typical amount five days per week and fast for two days. On the other hand, daily time-restricted fasting allows you to eat every day -- as long as it's within a specific window. The length of this window will vary, with some people using a fasting interval of as much as 20 hours. A fasting window of 16 hours is more common. This allows people to fast until lunch and then eat normally (as long as they stop eating by a certain point in the evening). Because it's much easier to fit into your everyday life, the 8:16-hour fasting pattern is quite popular. Less strict practitioners do allow a small number of calories to be consumed during the fasting window. Some consider anything below 50 calories to be fast-friendly, while others allow 300 calories to be consumed while fasting. The longer the fasting window, the higher this number of calories is likely to be. Collagen Peptides If you're considering intermittent fasting or have already taken it up, you're probably concerned about health and well-being. Maybe you're looking to IF as a way to improve your overall health. In either case, you may also be taking nutritional supplements. Collagen is one of the most popular nutritional supplements around -- and for several excellent reasons. Collagen is an exceptional protein found almost everywhere in the human body. It's powerful but also flexible and resilient, helping to build tough yet pliable tissues. Collagen is found everywhere, from your circulatory system to your joints and even your hair follicles. Taking collagen in the form of supplements can help your body produce more of its collagen, keeping your joints, skin, and internal organs in good shape. Collagen peptides are the best form of collagen to take, as they're easier for your body to break down and absorb. Can You Have Collagen During Intermittent Fasting? Technically yes, but not all collagen supplements will do the trick. Collagen brands such as Body Kitchen are ideal due to their specific di-peptide formulations. While collagen has very few calories, it is a caloric substance and is considered breaking a fast. That doesn't mean you have to stop taking your daily collagen supplements. It simply means that you need to choose one with a high absorption rate (we recommend Youthful Beauty) so that you're consuming them during the window of time when you'd normally eat your meals. Most collagen brands on the market will break the fast due to using low-quality and slow digestive collagen. Something that many people forget about nutritional supplements is that they often work best when taken with food. In the case of collagen specifically, the supplements are most effective if they're consumed alongside appropriate levels of antioxidants and other nutrients -- the things that your regular meals should provide. For this reason, even if you're of the liberal fasting mindset and allow a small number of calories during the fasting period, you should still avoid taking your collagen while fasting. Consuming your collagen with a meal will maximize absorption and ensure that you get the full benefit from your supplements.
Summer Care for Beautiful Hair
Tousled tresses and beachy natural waves are THE look for summer no matter what your age or proximity to the ocean. The vacation vibe that makes the season so special also applies to your hair care as you relax your pace and daily routine. With so many breezy pulled-back looks to choose from, you can relax from the more time-consuming styles that you favor other times of year. Your hair deserves a break too. Over time, heat styling, coloring and blow-drying ravage hair follicles and rob strands of radiance, leading to dry, dull and wiry hair that ultimately needs even more product and styling to tame. The sun’s intense UV rays during hot weather months can further push hair further into damaged territory. But that’s not the worst-case scenario: when follicles become stressed, it can upend your hair’s growth and maturation cycle, which can result in a shorter anagen (growth) phase and accelerated pace to the exogen (shedding) phase… and that’s no place you want to be for very long. Then there’s the ongoing influence of DNA, stress, nutrient deficiencies and aging that can also cause excess hair shedding. This summer, protect your hair the way you protect your skin with the right ingredients for maintaining health, strength and shine all season long. Don’t forget sun protection If you think sun protection is only for skin, think again. Not only is your scalp susceptible to sunburns, especially your part, strands themselves can get fried and discolored as sun rays destroy hair’s pigment proteins. According to scientists, the sun’s UV radiation increases by a factor of 10, making prolonged exposure all the more harmful when you consider it only takes minutes to burn. Be prepared when you head outdoors. A wide-brim hat is great for when you plan to be out in the sun for extended periods, whether in your garden or at the pool. And after taking laps in the pool, be sure to rinse your hair with clean water to remove chlorine and other harsh chemicals. Take it easy with hair-care products… the sun can intensify the chemicals, which can further damage your locks. And above, don’t forget to apply sunscreen to your part! The other hair-care accessories While a stylish hat and pretty hair ties are definite summer must-haves, there are other essentials that are even more important to the long-term health and shine of your tresses. Beautiful hair is built on keratin—the fibrous protein that comprises up to 90% of hair’s structure. But aging and other factors cause synthesis of keratin to wane, which makes loading up on the right dietary protein necessary to provide the amino acid building blocks your body needs to produce keratin. Unfortunately, palatable food sources of keratin are nonexistent. So for a direct source of keratin, find a supplement with the keratin ingredient, Cynatine HNS, because its shown to support hair growth and reduce excess hair shedding.* One to try: Keratin Enrich, which is also loaded with shine-boosting B-vitamins like biotin to support keratin production. You know vitamin C as an immune booster, but it’s also a building block of healthy hair growth. It works in two ways. Vitamin C fights free radicals that threaten hair follicle cells. It’s also integral for procollagen … the phase that precedes production of keratin as well as collagen. DIY hair repair For days when you’ve had too much fun in the sun and your strands are paying the price, spend some spa time at home repairing your hair. No fancy products necessary—just use ingredients you have in your kitchen, such as olive oil, coconut oil, honey, an overripe avocado or banana, egg, collagen powder, and milk, cream or yogurt (the higher the fat content, the better). Aloe vera gel works great too. (For a fine collagen powder that dissolves quickly, try Youthful Beauty with collagen peptides). Make your own soothing hair mask by combining some natural fat, protein and a binder until smooth and creamy. Apply to hair starting with your roots, wrap in a bun and leave on for 10-15 minutes before rinsing with warm water. For intensive treatment for dry, brittle hair, wear a shower cap and leave on longer before rinsing. Get out there and enjoy a season of summer vibes and lustrous locks this year—you deserve it!
How to Increase Metabolism
You're probably familiar with the concept of boosting your metabolism. You already know that a high metabolism is helpful for weight management, while a low metabolism is associated with difficulty in controlling your weight. Just what is your metabolism, though? How do you go about increasing it? Technically, the term "metabolism" refers to specific chemical reactions that occur in your body. These reactions keep your cells alive and working properly. In general speech, though, metabolism is used interchangeably with another term: metabolic rate. Simply put, your metabolic rate is the rate at which your body burns energy. When people talk about having a high metabolism in the context of weight control, they're referring to having a high metabolic rate. If your metabolism is high, you burn off energy more rapidly. Burning energy faster means that your body stores fewer calories as fat. As well as helping with weight control, having a high metabolism can also have other benefits. It can reduce fatigue and improve your general sense of well-being. Foods That Increase Metabolism You can boost your metabolism by eating the proper diet. It's always a good idea to avoid processed foods, especially those high in additives, refined carbohydrates, and saturated fats. Eating food generally raises your metabolism for a while. Your metabolism kicks into gear when you eat, burning calories more rapidly for some time afterward. Some foods are more effective than others when it comes to giving you that temporary metabolic boost. Fats are the least effective at raising your metabolic rate, driving it up by less than three percent (and sometimes not giving you a boost at all). Carbohydrates give you more of a boost, raising your metabolism by five to ten percent. The best metabolic booster is protein, however. When you eat protein, your metabolism can go up by anything from 15 to 30 percent. Protein can also make you feel more satiated. If you love spicy food, there's good news. Hot peppers and some other spices can help speed up your metabolism, making it easier to burn calories. Spicy food can also boost your endorphins, producing a sense of well-being. Switch your regular sodas for green tea or oolong tea. Both of these have a positive effect on your metabolism. If you're a coffee-lover, you're already on the right track -- coffee is a metabolism booster. Just make sure you choose drinks that don't contain additional calories from sugar or fat. Another surprising metabolism booster is cold water. When you drink your water cold, your metabolism speeds up in order to raise the temperature of the fluid. Water is also hydrating, which is important for keeping your body in good shape generally. Supplements That Increase Metabolism There are some food supplements you could try that may help raise your metabolic rate. Green tea extract is a strong candidate, with plenty of evidence to support its use as a metabolism booster. Green coffee extract may also be helpful. Some minerals are known to support a higher metabolism. Many people's diets are deficient in zinc, so a zinc supplement might be helpful. Zinc is reasonably plentiful in certain foods, like dark poultry meat and beef. If your diet is light on these, you might want to try zinc. Chromium, a micronutrient found in shellfish, is also vital for a healthy metabolism. Another supplement that's shown promise in studies is the fruit of the Dichrostachys Glomerata plant. This is a species native to West Africa, where it's used as a spice. As well as being a good source of antioxidants, Dichrostachys glomerata is also used as a metabolism booster. Body Kitchen's Trimglo is a high-quality metabolism-boosting supplement blend. It contains several ingredients including a patented and clinically-studied spice from West Africa that acts as a fat-burning polyphenol complex. As well as harnessing this West African superfruit, Trimglo also contains chromium and green tea extract. It's stimulant-free and a great addition to your weight control program without adding any pressure to the cardiovascular system. Exercises That Increase Metabolism Any exercise can increase your metabolism. To raise your metabolic rate, even more, you can add some bursts of higher activity to your routine. High-intensity interval training (HIIT) increases your metabolism and encourages your body to burn fat. The metabolic boost persists long after your workout is complete. Weight training is another way to speed up your metabolism. As well as raising your metabolic rate in the short term, lifting weights can also increase your muscle mass. This type of training is one of the best ways to make a long-term change to your metabolic rate. It's perhaps the best metabolism booster for weight loss, especially if you want to maintain your healthy weight in the long term. To be most effective, you need to exercise regularly. Try for at least a 30-minute session every day, and build-up momentum from there.
Ways to Boost Collagen Levels
Collagen is a common protein in the body that plays a key role in giving you a healthy and more youthful appearance. Taking collagen supplements increases elasticity in the skin, which helps to minimize wrinkles. These collagen supplement benefits also include improving hair and nail health. Learning more about the best collagen supplements is important in helping you achieve a younger appearance. Do Collagen Supplements Work? Taking collagen supplements is an excellent, if not the best, option for many people due to its various benefits. These supplements are especially beneficial if you are unable to consistently eat foods that increase collagen levels in your body. However, collagen supplements with lack of research and testing can have a few side effects. These side effects may result in allergic reactions, joint paint, or calcium overproduction. You should always remain cautious of using collagen supplement brands that don’t disclose too much information about their collagen sources. But this is definitely not the case with Body Kitchen’s formulations. How to Choose the Best Collagen Supplements Available Original Body Boost Collagen Powder is an excellent way to improve your skin, hair, nails, joints, and bones. Each of Body Kitchen's products is directly sourced from real food ingredients to give you the best results. Original Body Boost Collagen Powder is one of the best collagen supplements available, as it offers a much greater absorption rate than other products due to its super-concentrated di-peptide blend. This formula in particular can also be utilized in simple recipes such as smoothies, or more elaborated ones such as soups or dips. Body Kitchen definitely steps out of the boring traditional supplement-taking routines. Collagen-boosting foods is also another way you can naturally increase your collagen levels. Here are a few more tips on how to increase collagen naturally: Aloe Vera Aloe vera is often used to treat cuts and burns, as it's a natural collagen booster. You can apply aloe vera directly onto your skin, or you can purchase a variety of products that contain aloe vera. However, this will not be as effective as taking a collagen supplement. Aloe Vera will influence the epidermis-level of skin only giving a temporary healing effect. Vitamin C Rich Foods Foods rich in Vitamin C are another way you can increase collagen production throughout your body. Vitamin C also plays a role in the synthesis of hyaluronic acid, increasing collagen while reducing recovery time and providing pain relief. While hyaluronic acid is found throughout the body, it does decrease as we get older. One way to overcome this problem is to always eat foods with high levels of vitamin C. Foods that increase collagen include oranges, strawberries, broccoli, brussels sprouts, red peppers, and kale. You can also use hyaluronic acid enhanced supplements, such as Collagen Enrich, to target collagen production from a more refined-angle. Cilantro Cilantro is a common herb that's often used in a wide range of recipes. Vitamin C is found in cilantro, which is a natural collagen booster. Cilantro has linolenic acid, as studies show that it plays a key role in preventing your skin from aging. Linolenic acid also consists of antioxidants that eliminate free radicals within your bloodstream, which keeps your skin cells healthy. Cilantro extract is widely available, as you can take it orally to increase collagen production. Ginseng Another way you can increase collagen in your body is to use ginseng. You can easily absorb ginseng through your skin without worrying about many of the adverse reactions caused by chemical pharmaceuticals. Studies show that ginseng helps to preserve your skin against damaging UVB rays from the sun. Consuming a ginseng supplement or drinking tea releases antioxidants into your bloodstream, which can help protect healthy cells while also improving your skin. Algae The use of marine plant ingredients continues to become more popular for a variety of beauty routines. Algae can play an important role in preventing oxidation, damaging cell growth due to exposure to pollutants. You can find algae oral supplements in the vast majority of health food stores, as it's a great way to prevent skin damage by naturally improving elasticity and collagen levels. Things to Avoid Understanding how to increase collagen naturally is a top concern for many people. Using aloe vera, cilantro, ginseng, algae, and eating foods rich in vitamin C are a few of the most popular ways to boost your collagen levels. However, it's important to avoid a few things that can make it much more difficult to increase collagen, such as spending time in a tanning bed or smoking cigarettes. Always using sunscreen while spending time outdoors is another way to keep your skin protected from the sun. Keeping these things in mind is essential in giving your skin an overall youthful appearance.
Collagen Supplementation - Beauty Comes from Within
Collagen is a natural protein produced within the body, and it's also available as a supplement. Taking collagen supplements is especially beneficial in improving the appearance of your skin. Additional benefits may include stronger bones, relief from joint pain, and a boost in lean muscle mass. Youthful, Beautiful Skin Collagen supplements for skin are an effective way to reduce wrinkles, increase skin elasticity, and it can improve blood flow to your skin which enhances nutrient distribution. Ultimately, collagen helps to give you a more youthful appearance by preventing your skin from sagging due to age. The Role of Collagen in the Body Collagen is an important protein that is one of the key building blocks for your skin, hair, bones, tendons, ligaments, and muscles. While your body naturally creates collagen on its own, it will eventually produce less as you get older. Typically, your body will begin to process less collagen beginning in your mid-20s for most people. Women can lose up to 30% of their collagen production within the first five years of menopause. Collagen supplements are often a popular option due to their anti-aging properties. Do Collagen Supplements Work? Understanding collagen supplement benefits is essential if you plan on taking these supplements. However, finding the best collagen supplements isn't always easy due to so many options available. For example, you can choose between collagen capsules, liquids, or powders. However, additional studies are needed to determine if collagen supplements are broken down due to stomach acids or absorbed into the bloodstream. This is exactly why choosing a collagen supplement backed by the right science and clinical studies, such as Body Kitchen’s, is so important. Youthful Beauty Collagen Powder is an excellent option for achieving youthful skin, as it helps to minimize wrinkles by increasing elasticity. The antioxidant properties can also aid the body in repairing visible breakdown due to aging. Enhanced collagen absorption is another major benefit, as Youthful Beauty Collagen Powder has 30x the number of dipeptides compared to other protein powders available in the market and isn’t degraded by stomach-acid due to being an advanced hydrolyzed powder. This advanced anti-aging formula helps to support the beauty within by improving your skin, hair, bones, nails, joints while also decreasing wrinkles. How About Collagen Creams and Vitamins? Topical treatments are also available to help promote the formation of collagen but these never reach the dermis-layer of skin which is where skin health is determined. Topical treatments stay at the epidermis-layer, only giving limited and temporary results Tips on Protecting Your Natural Collagen Looking at ways to protect the collagen naturally produced in your body is important for beautiful skin. Ultraviolet light can break down collagen, as it's always a good idea to wear sunscreen if you plan on spending any extra time out in the sun. Choosing to eat foods that are high in antioxidants is also essential for beauty skincare. Fruits and vegetables are always a fantastic choice for unlocking the beauty within and preventing the breakdown of collagen. Reaching out to a dermatologist is a good idea if you plan on using a new beauty skincare routine. Reach out to Body Kitchen today by sending us a message to learn more about the benefits of using collagen supplements to unlock your beauty within!
Walking for Weight Loss
If you're planning to lose weight or just want to maintain your current weight at a healthy level, you've probably considered several different tactics. Experts recommend approaching weight loss holistically, with a combination of lifestyle changes: a more nutritious diet with fewer processed foods and a lower calorie count, quality sleep, and continuous exercise. One of the best forms of exercise for weight loss is easy and takes little effort: walking. Walking has several advantages. It's less strenuous than running or sports, doesn't require any equipment, and can be done anywhere you have a little open space. Walking can easily be incorporated into your daily routine without having to make time for gym visits or trips to the swimming pool. Best of all, walking has lots of other benefits besides weight loss: it lowers your stress levels, improves your cardiovascular health, supports lung function, and boosts your immune system. Walking most days of the week also cuts down your risk of developing diabetes. All in all, it's the ideal weight loss exercise – and not because of all the health benefits you get out of it, but because it’s the one routine that can be easily kept. Food Supplements and Walking for Weight Loss If you want to get the most out of your daily walk, there are a few food supplements that might help. One is collagen. Taking collagen supplements to support exercise has many benefits. Firstly, the collagen you take is broken down by your own body to make the building blocks of new collagen inside your own tissues. This is important in helping to build up your muscle strength and keep your joints limber and flexible. Collagen, when taken regularly as a supplement, can also help manage your appetite, preventing you from feeling hungry after exercise. Other helpful supplements are those that can assist in managing your glucose levels. To benefit from your walking workout, it's important to avoid spikes and troughs in your blood sugar. These can leave you feeling tired and jittery, with less energy to complete your walk. The fruit of the Dichrostachys Glomerata plant, an African fruit used as a spice, contains compounds that can help your body make more efficient glucose use. Body Kitchen's Trimglo provides a unique formula derived from Dichrostachys Glomerata extract. This fruit-derived polyphenol compound helps decrease insulin resistance so that more of your blood glucose is burned to fuel your cells instead of being stored as fat. Forget fad diets and unsustainable low-calorie regimes -- Trimglo is probably one of the most convenient, and effective, weight-loss supplements on the market. Combined with a sensible exercise regimen, Trimglo can support your weight loss goals while giving you a safe, healthy energy boost. Lose Weight by Walking Just how long should you walk? Current research suggests walking for 30 to 90 minutes most days of the week. It's OK to skip a day now and then but to really reap the benefits of walking as a weight loss aid, you should try not to miss more than one day. If you're relatively sedentary, you might find longer walks a bit challenging. That's fine -- start with shorter distances and build up as your fitness level increases. If you start with a ten or fifteen-minute walk for your first few sessions, you'll quickly get to where you want to be. In half an hour, you can cover around 1.5 to 2 miles at a brisk pace. You should aim to walk fast enough to be just a little out of breath. A good rule of thumb is that you should speak and carry on a conversation but a little too out of breath to sing. Walking faster has various benefits: it boosts your lung capacity, helps your circulation, and burns more calories than if you walked the same distance at a more sedate pace. But don’t worry too much about all the details. Choose whatever pace is comfortable for you, this will make your walk fun, refreshing, and effective.
How to Develop an Attitude of Gratitude
If November is the month for giving thanks, May is the perfect month to begin cultivating a gratitude mindset, not through superficial reminders to count our blessings, but through actions that influence our state of mind at a deeper level with the power to actually improve your health, mental health and inner joy. It turns out, gratitude is really good medicine! Derived from the Latin word, gratia, gratitude is about appreciation for the little things in life, the small acts of kindness from others and gestures of giving without getting. The emotional response generated from a sustained practice of gratitude goes far beyond fleeting moments of feeling good, but it can actually rewire the brain and make you feel genuinely happier and more content, according to research. And perhaps the best part to emerge from neuroscience research is that you don’t have to be born with a cheery disposition to benefit from practicing gratitude in your daily life. An Indiana University Bloomington study found that subjects who were experiencing anxiety and depression had a significantly improved outlook 4 weeks after writing weekly gratitude letters to another person for just 3 weeks along with receiving counseling.* The benefits continued even after 12 weeks, showing that the feel-good benefit gradually built up and reached sustainable levels. As for participants who only received counseling… they experienced no such mood boosts, indicating that the act of reflecting and expressing gratitude in an actionable way can produce noticeable results. But if you’re not convinced that “thinking positive thoughts” can work for you, consider a few heavy consequences of how negativity and being quick to stress out can affect your wellbeing—and discover a few ways on how to make adopting a ‘gra-ttitude’ easier: Stress and anxiety weigh heavy on your heart Stress and anxiety are not only related to mental health. They manifest physically through inflammation in the body that can affect your cardiovascular system. Elevated stress levels cause a key ‘fight or flight’ hormone, cortisol, to spike. When a high level of cortisol becomes the norm, it can compromise the cardiovascular system. How to keep your heart healthy: Keep a journal. One study revealed that patients with high risk factors for heart disease who wrote in a gratitude journal most days of the week experienced a drop in inflammation and improvement in healthy heart function. Gut punch to your immunity With its complex army of ‘natural killer’ cells and white blood cells, your immune system has the important gatekeeping role of fighting off internal and external invaders that want make you sick. Prolonged stress is a hidden source of inflammation that can actually overwhelm your immune system and lead to major health conditions. And, because an estimated 70% of your immune system is housed in your gut, long stretches of the blues can interfere with gut bacteria’s ability to produce feel-good hormones, such as serotonin, dopamine and GABA. How to keep your immune system happy: Be social. Having real interactions with friends and family have been shown to improve well-being and the immune system, by supporting communication between the gut and brain (gut-brain axis). For added protection when you need it, consider upping your intake of immune-boosting vitamin C, a powerful vitamin and antioxidant shown to promote a healthier immune system.* A glass half empty can lead to depression Life is tough sometimes and some days can truly put our resilience, patience and character to the test. But pessimism in daily life has a way of dragging us down in small, sometimes imperceptible ways too. And the weight of negativity can lead to depression.* How to lift your mood naturally: write gratitude letters. As was done in the study described earlier, write a gratitude letter to a different person weekly for at least 3 weeks and let the warm, lasting thoughts consume you. You may also benefit from good-mood nutrients and extracts, such as collagen, L-theanine and hemp. Brain tissue includes collagen, of which 1/3 is made of glycine, a key amino acid. This compound has been shown to support to have a calming effect. L-theanine and hemp also boost feelings of relaxation and help support serotonin. Remember, changing your mindset doesn’t happen overnight. Start with one small commitment at a time, such as calling a friend or loved one every week, or journaling twice times a week. Before you know it, you’ll start to let go of negative thought patterns and adopt an attitude of gratitude instead.
