Fascia + Collagen... The Dynamic Duo

core connections fascia wellness May 01, 2018

Dear Fascia, you sound interesting, but what are you?? Fascia is the soft, connective tissue that runs all throughout your body including around your organs, nerves, muscles, through your abdominal wall, and more! Fascia sometimes thought of as,

"THE SOFT SKELETON OF THE HUMAN BODY" (Andry Vlemming),

as it plays a vital role in muscle function, prevention of injury, improve energy, even improve bone density and more! But it is so much more than a physical piece as it takes part in how you feel emotionally.

Throughout my years in the fitness + wellness industry, I have read more research on fascia than I have read children's books! JK!! But I've read a lot! And I also love experimenting on my own discovering even more about how fascia functions.

The research on fascia is amazing as it shows how fascia has a big part to do with how our body moves but also overall health as well. Take a listen to this episode to learn more about my obsession with FASCIA and collagen formation!

EPISODE NOTES

Vitamin C: Crucial For Collagen Formation

Bone Broth

Kettle & Fire is my favorite (you can find it at Whole Foods (typically it's less than on Amazon), you can also make your own at home, here's a bone broth recipe book.

Quick + Easy Bone Broth Soup Recipe
How To Make Homemade Beef Bone Broth

Collagen Powder

Great to add to any foods, I add mine every morning to my bulletproof coffee. Check out Bulletproof Collagen or Vital Proteins.

EPISODE QUOTES

TRANSCRIPT

Erica: I am so excited to talk about fascia and collagen as they are both very important in your movement, body and overall health. When I think of the body, I see the fascia, because I look at the body as fascia. It is fascinating what the body is capable of; not just on the physical side, but on the emotional side as well because you hold so much emotion in your tissue, in the fascia.

Fascia is one continuous structure throughout the entire body. It connects the tissue, encapsulates the organs + nerves as it runs through and over the muscles of your body. If you were to look at a nerve sliced in half, you see fascia wrapped around not only that nerve but every other nerve in your body. So, when you are experiencing pain within your body, it might not have to do with that exact spot of the body, but everything to do with the fascia that is in your body.

Fascia can get stiff when you sit too long, have poor posture or not moving enough. But you can improve the function and quality of the fascia in your body. A good example is your spine. If you work on lengthening to create more space between the vertebrates and make your back stronger. Not just muscular strength, but fascial strength as well. However, stimulating the fascia does take time.

Fascia is basically collagen as it makes up the fibrous parts of the fascia; therefore, you can look at collagen as the glue that keeps everything together. Vitamin C goes hand in hand with collagen as it supports collagen formation and cell rejuvenation.

As you get older, your natural cell rejuvenation of collagen declines, which makes it even more important to add collagen into your daily routine. And you don’t have to get collagen just from a powder source, it can also be obtained through bone broth; this will also help with your daily hydration.

Another thing to keep in mind when improving collagen formation is that if your body is inflamed, that is going to make it that much harder for your body to improve the fascial function of your body. But also remember that you can always improve the quality of your fascia and make more of it. When you start to increase your collagen intake, it is also going to improve your bone density as well.

Moreover, it is important to keep your lymphatic system flowing in moving in order to keep up with your overall health. Here are a few ways that we can do that…

Vibration
Movement
Dry Brushing
Cupping + Acupuncture

When talking about fascia, it does not just have to do with the physical body and movement. It is the education behind it as well, which is what I teach in my Core Rehab Program. Understanding what this exercise is doing to your fascia, how rotational movements encourage lengthening and space to be created. These are vital pieces of information that need to be heard and understood to enhance the quality of our life and the way you move.

So, what I want to leave you with is this…

Lengthen

Drastically can improve fascial functioning

Nutrition

Are you getting enough vitamin C? Are you eating enough vegetables? Are you feeding your fascia enough collagen?

Connect, Then Move

Start to implement this into your mindset as you get up from a chair, lift something off the floor or carrying around a toddler. With this mindset, you are retraining your body to support what needs to be supported.

REFERENCES

Please note that some of the links above are affiliate links, and at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you decide to make a purchase by using the link. Please understand that I recommend these products because they are helpful and useful, not because of the small commissions I make if you decided to buy.

The material contained within is provided for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. You should seek prompt medical care for any specific health issues and consult your physician before beginning a new regiment or purchasing any product(s).