Absolute Life: Live Your Best Life

We all know modern life is stressful. With endless pressures and demands on our time, it’s easy for self-care to slip to the bottom of our priority list. And self-care doesn’t just mean bubble baths and spa days - although of course we all love those, too - but rather, it’s the little steps we can take everyday to make sure we’re caring for our bodies and minds on a daily basis and living our best life.

So we at Absolute Collagen have put together a handy guide that everyone can learn from, sharing some easy tips and advice to help keep your body and mind in tip-top condition. And of course, we’d love to hear your recommendations too - what does self-care mean to you?

Everyday Wellbeing with Absolute Collagen

We’ve made it easy to get a daily health boost with our hydrolysed marine collagen peptides. Collagen peptides are broken down from the much larger strings of amino acids that make up collagen, and are much easier for the body to absorb, with 90-95% of each dose being absorbed into the body compared to 40-45% when taken in tablet form. Each ready-mixed 10ml sachet of Absolute Collagen contains a powerful 8000mg of best-quality collagen in liquid form, along with Vitamin C to aid in absorption. In short, you’re getting the maximum amount of the good stuff in the smallest, easiest dose.

Taking Absolute Collagen is a great way to support your whole body from the inside out. Absoluters across the globe enjoy full-body benefits including stronger nails, glossier hair, reduced skin wrinkles and dryness. Some also report increased stamina for working out, and many take it as a post-workout supplement due to the benefits of the protein contained in each dose. And there’s any number of ways you can take your daily dose; from smoothies to juices, porridge to yoghurts - or just straight from the sachet!

Easy Exercise and Fitness Advice for Everyone

It can be hard to find time for exercise in this hectic modern world, though we all know the many benefits regular exercise can bring. And what’s more, it’s not always clear what type of exercise is best, as this differs from person to person. As a rule, however, we should aim to be doing at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity per week, or at least 70 minutes of vigorous intensity activity per week. For context, moderate activity includes brisk walking, cycling, water aerobics, and pushing a lawnmower, while vigorous activity includes running, fast swimming, gymnastics, and football and other similar ball sports.

Staying Hydrated for Maximum Wellbeing

Did you know that a massive 89% of the population don’t drink enough water? Those most likely to be lacking in hydration are those aged 55 or older, with 25% admitting they drink no water at all throughout the day. The average person needs about 8 glasses of water a day, but of course you should always drink more if you’re especially active or if the weather is particularly hot. The effects of not drinking enough water range from headaches and blurry vision to dry, aging skin and wounds taking longer to heal - so it really is important to keep yourself hydrated.

We recommend keeping a reusable water bottle with you - they come in different sizes, so you could keep a larger one by your desk and a smaller one for travelling throughout the day. These days, there are also apps that track your hydration and remind you to drink water, so you could always try adding one of these to your phone especially if you struggle with forgetfulness or lead an especially hectic life. And of course, as part of your hydration routine, one of your glasses of water can be infused with your daily dose of Absolute Collagen - two health wins in one!

The Importance of Good Quality Sleep

The importance of sleep is well known but still often overlooked. You probably know that the NHS recommends the average adult should get around 8 hours of sleep, or 480 minutes, per night in order to function at their best - but did you know that in the UK, the average person sleeps for between 5.78 and 6.83 hours per night, which works out at a mean of 379.4 minutes? That’s a lot of people missing out on the optimum recommended sleep duration by at least 100.6 minutes each night - and, over time, that really adds up.

But there are several things you can do to counter this. Firstly, consider keeping your phone, tablet, laptop and other screens out of your bedroom. Experts recommend that for an hour before sleep, we should avoid looking at a screen altogether. Reading a book, meditation, or yoga are all good alternatives, and promote soothing, calm experiences for both body and mind before bed, which contributes to a better quality of sleep.

Then, reconsider your bedtime. Sleep generally occurs in 90 minute cycles, and it usually takes the average person 15 minutes to fall asleep - so with this in mind, you can work out the best time to go to bed based on the time you need to wake up. For instance, if you need to set an alarm for 6.30am, you can work backwards in 90 minute increments and aim to go to bed at 10pm. A regular sleep schedule based around REM cycles should also lead to better quality sleep.

Mindfulness, Mindset and Mental Wellbeing

When we talk about self-care, the obvious consideration is looking after our physical bodies. But mental wellbeing plays a huge part in overall health and quality of life, so it’s also important to make sure we are caring for our minds, too. Did you know that in England alone, 1 in 4 people experience some form of mental health problem each year? Of these, the most common are depression and anxiety, which many people experience to varying degrees.

While not intended as a guide to treating mental health problems, there are simple steps we can all take to ensure we’re looking after our minds as well as our bodies, and dealing with the stresses of everyday life in the most efficient way.

And what’s more, our founder and CEO Maxine has spoken of her own experiences overcoming negative mindset, in an informative video interview.

There are several useful strategies and proactive choices Maxine recommends to manage stress. These include being kinder to yourself - try not to put excessive pressure on yourself when it comes to decision-making - and countering negative inner monologues with laughter. Maxine refers to her negative inner voice as her “inner monkey” and has taught herself not to take it seriously when she starts putting herself down, which is a strategy we can all use.

Maxine also advocates taking time away from a situation or decision - try not to rush things, and don’t allow time pressures to cloud your judgement or stop you processing a situation. And what’s more, talk to other people! Even if you end up making the decision yourself, it can be beneficial to offload your thoughts and concerns to someone else, as this can provide clarity.

Do you have any self-care tips we've missed? Get in touch and lt us know your recommendations - we'd love to hear from you!