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Hi friends!

Here is your weekly Tri-Tip Tuesday, sharing our current thoughts on food, fitness, & travel. Please forward this to others if you think they may be inspired.

Food: collagen peptides ≠ complete protein

Collagen is a natural protein in your body and the main component of connective tissues that make up several body parts, including tendons, ligaments, skin, and muscles. It provides your skin with structure and strengthens your bones.
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As we age, our bodies start to produce less collagen. So it's no surprise that the supplement industry is taking advantage of our fears of aging to leverage sales of collagen peptides. These supplements claim that taking a collagen supplement may help to alleviate joint pain and inflammation, help to increase skin elasticity and decrease signs of aging (like wrinkles), and "may" prevent loss of bone density that commonly occurs with age.

One important caveat to point out is that collagen has low biological value, mainly due to the low amounts of BCAA, lysine, and tryptophan. This means it is not a complete protein and it does not improve muscle mass. So while collagen may have some benefits for certain aspects of your body, it doesn't provide the same benefits for muscle building as animal protein does.

It is a debatable topic whether the protein content in collagen actually "counts" as protein for those tracking daily protein intake. Most protein and nutrition experts will say it does not count. It is something to be aware of if you are one of the many people out there mixing a little collagen into your morning coffee in an effort to reach protein goals.

My personal take on it is that it is a supplement targeted for skin, nails, and joints, but not a quality protein replacement. It may be beneficial for you and worth the money if you choose to supplement with it but don't count it as your protein goal at meals. If you do need to supplement with protein to hit your dietary protein nutrition goals, you are better off using a quality whey protein isolate. Whey is a complete protein, and it has all of the amino acids your body needs to get to work and stimulate muscle protein synthesis.

Fitness: grip strength

Grip strength is something that most people don't think about. How hard can you grip with your hands? It involves not only your hands, but also your forearms, and all the way up to your large back muscles (lats).

Grip strength is an excellent proxy for overall strength, and is directly associated with decreased risk of overall mortality. There are growing studies suggesting that how hard you can grip and squeeze with your hands, predicts how long you are likely to live.

And it doesn't stop there...grip strength is also linked to maintaining cognitive function. A study in the United Kingdom found that grip strength was strongly and inversely associated with the incidence of dementia. People who had the lowest grip strength had a higher incidence of dementia, compared to the opposite.

One of the best ways to train for grip strength is a farmer's carry, where you walk for 30-90 seconds carrying a dumbbell in each hand, with your arms down at your sides. Form tip: Keep your shoulder blades down and back (not hunched forward or pulled up). If you are new to strength training, start with light weights, and work your way up.

I always encourage people to get a wide variety of dumbbell weights. More often than not, people underestimate their strength and don't have a wide enough or heavy enough range. If you've been holding back on bumping up your investment in weight, this is one big reason and justification you shouldn't ignore. Weight up, the ROI is worth it!

Travel: post-it notes

Blame it on my type-A personality, my OCD, or my ADHD, I am a huge fan of the Post-it note. You'll find them scattered throughout the house, from the office to the refrigerator.
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When life gets crazy and surviving your to-do's each day can feel like a task, food prep and eating healthy don't need to be another chore on your list.

Whether you're living the RV life or in a traditional household, we all have stress, responsibilities, and schedules to maintain. I do little bursts of food prep often throughout the week. Anytime I make anything, I make extra. My food prep happens naturally in waves.
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This is one big change for me that is different in RV life. Back in our house, I always food prepped on the weekend. It was either Saturday or Sunday and I did the whole shebang.
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With RV life, our schedule varies week by week. We don't have set travel days, and our travel days have a domino effect on everything: grocery shopping, food prepping, tourist/excursions, meals out, etc.

Once we started living in our Airstream Interstate, I implemented Post-it notes to stay organized in the refrigerator. I like to buy the small, 1.5x2" size, at Walmart for $1.50. Whenever I put any leftovers or prepped food in the fridge, I label the date on there. Sometimes I will go a step further and include portion information as well.

For example, if it is a container with 4 servings of rice, I will say, "4 servings" OR "130 grams per serving". This helps my future self by eliminating the guesswork of quantities remaining. When my portions are in check my inventory is better managed, and I save money in the long run.

It's a simple trick, but it works so well. And if a trick isn't simple...is it really a trick?

Make it a great week!

Christine Irene

NASM-CPT, Senior Fitness Specialist, Precision Nutrition Pn1 + Pn2 Certified, & Avid Traveler

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