A couple of posts ago I spoke a little bit about why I choose to not wear a lot of sunscreen and cover myself head to toe when out in the sun – if you haven’t read that post here’s the link: https://www.instagram.com/p/Bo2ovFWll9x/?taken-by=elev8life_with_paige
Today I want to cover the benefits of getting your daily dose of sunshine.
Though before we get into all the perks I just want to say that yes, EXCESSIVE sun exposure can cause skin cancers and wrinkles (which none of us really want) and sunburn should be avoided. However, 10-30 minutes (depending on skin tone- darker skin tones may need a little longer) in the sun without sunscreen will give you your daily dose of Vit D, which is s vital for our overall health.
Also, there are two types of radiation from the sun:
The 1st is UVA radiation, which is the deeper penetrating, more damaging one and is present all of the time, even when it’s cloudy.
The 2nd is UVB radiation, which creates our Vit D and that’s most prevalent at midday! (Surprise! After all of those years of being told not to go out in the middle of the day)
So here we are, 5 benefits of getting your daily dose of sunshine
- Vitamin D – This is a big one, brace yourself! It improves the quality of our bone structure, decreases inflammation, fights illness and improves our overall health – trust me, I’ve experienced a deficiency first hand and my physical and mental health was at an all-time low (if you want to know the full story, you can check ‘My story’ on my website www.elev8lifeholistic.com ).Could you supplement Vit D? Yes, but there’s a difference between the store bought supplements (Vit D3) and the Vit D from the sun which is sulphated. The sun – especially the morning sun – helps us create sulphated cholesterol and sulphated Vit D. This is especially beneficial to our health because of the negative feedback loop, so it’s impossible to overdose. The bought Vit D3 however, has no feedback control so it’s easy to overdose. Too much of this stuff can increases calcium absorption across the gut > which is deposited into our tissues > which builds artery plaque and can cause all sorts of problems, like kidney stones. So natural Vit D from the sun is your best bet!
- Antiseptic for the skin – The sun’s rays can help with everything from acne to scaracis.
- Mood booster – Makes you feel more positive as it increases endorphins, serotonin and melatonin in the system, while decreasing feelings of depression and helps you get a good night’s rest – which brings me to my next point!
- Sets karcadic rhythm – Being out in the sun helps our bodies produce and balance proper hormone levels which help us sleep well (and we’ve cover how important sleep is for weight management and our overall health!) Melatonin – the sleepy hormone- is produced by the penial gland which regulates sleep by calming the body before bed.
- Helps maintain healthy body weight! – The sun does this by speeding our metabolic rate. The nitrix oxide compound in our skin, released after sun exposure regulates metabolic activities of the body – who doesn’t want a faster metabolism?!
That’s just 5 benefits of getting a bit of sun each day and it’s free! So if you’re feeling inspired to go out and catch some rays now, remember, don’t overdo it (just like anything) and if you MUST wear a bit of sunscreen, try to go natural. Our skin is the largest organ of the body and will absorb everything we put on it into the bloodstream – including all those toxic chemicals most conventional sunscreens as packed with these days.