Stretch...

I am a woman...I am a woman with stretch marks.

They are faint, white lines at the tops of my thighs kind of on either side of my bottom and to me they look like little lightning bolts. I am not going to be negative about my stretch marks, they are part of me.

my bottom :: my stretch marks

My stretch marks are getting fainter and I wonder if soon I will hardly be able to see them. And if they don't continue to fade I am fine with that. I feel like they show that I have grown from a girl to a woman; both physically and mentally

I think my stretch marks are getting fainter because of where I am up to with my fitness goals. At my last skinfold check I had lost 2% body fat! I was thrilled! At my next check I hope to have gained some muscle. I will keep you posted!

I feel like I am the fittest and healthiest I have ever been. Some days I am tired but I am powering through and I keep reminding myself that I love being busy. I thrive on going 100kph and, after a bit of a moan this morning to a my friend Elise {who reminded me that I, like her, love being busy}, I realised I wouldn't have things any other way.

My diet is clean and pretty awesome! It is clean but not boring! Protein, carbohydrates and good fats. I'm not cutting anything and I am eating five times a day. I am loving the food prep, although getting home from work at 7.45pm and knowing I had to cook three days worth of food had me stressed yesterday. I sucked it up, prepped, cooked and packed for today; thank you Simon for helping me, you're awesome!

yum :: chicken larb :: simon style

Striae, or stretch marks as we call them, are a form of off-color scarring on the skin. They are caused by tearing of the dermis, which over time may diminish, but will not disappear completely.

Stretch marks are often the result of the rapid stretching of the skin associated with rapid growth or rapid weight changes. Stretch marks may also be influenced by hormonal changes related to puberty, pregnancy, muscle building or hormone replacement therapy.

My Mum once said to me that stretch marks can be reduced by increasing the zinc in your body. I thought this sounded like an old wives tale and didn't think much of it until Matt from CSA gave me the Zinc, Magnesium and Vitamin B6 supplement. I've done a bit of reading up and I think that the Zinc is really helping with my stretch marks. Zinc is seen as being the most essential supplement to take in the prevention of stretch marks.

The most important property of zinc is the production of collagen. Collagen holds the bodies skin tissues together. It is the most abundant structural protein and makes up 80% of all connective tissue. In fact, 75% of the dermis consists of collagen and it makes up 90% of its volume. When a person has enough collagen, it is near impossible to get stretch marks. Collagen is not available in food, so it's very essential to supplement with zinc.

At the moment I am taking two of Ultimate Nutrition's ZMA tablets half an hour before bed.

ZMA :: Ultimate Nutrition

Vitamin's A, C & E can really help with the treatment of stretch marks. I am taking 500mg of Vitamin C twice daily, one post work out and one at dinner time. A & B I am not taking but will give you a bit of an idea what I found out about them ::

Vitamin A is very important for the growth of skin, and maintaining healthy bones, nails, and hair. It helps to repair injured skin, and improve dry, scaly skin. It is absorbed through the skin, and helps it to remain soft and plump. When Vitamin A is topically applied, it stimulates the skin mitotically, and metabolically, therefore maintaining a youthful condition. Experiments have showed that Vitamin A applied topically keeps the epidermis saturated with the vitamin. Vitamin A also stimulates the renewal process of the epidermal cells which causes thickening of the epidermis.

One of the most important roles of Vitamin C is to help heal wounds and scar tissue. It is required for the synthesis of collagen, and acts as a cementing substance between skin cells. The most important role of collagen is to provide barrier for infections and diseases, and to promote healing of wounds.

Another very important vitamin when trying to prevent stretch marks is Vitamin E which is needed for the maintenance of normal body metabolism and in the protection and healing of body tissues and skin. For skin care, vitamin e is most beneficial as an anti-oxidant in preserving the health of skin tissue and membranes. It is also used to help the recovery process of post surgical scars. You can take vitamin E orally or topically.

Stretch marks or no stretch marks I am starting to feel proud of my body and the noticeable changes I am seeing. I am smiling but I could definitely do with an early night!