Get 10 minutes of Sun to Boost Energy

Have Sun to Boost Your Energy. But How Much?

First of all, let me be perfectly clear: I am not advocating a return to the days of basking in the sun drenched in baby oil. There’s no doubt that chronic, excessive exposure to sunlight can increase the risk of basal or squamous cell cancer (non-melanoma skin cancers that are rarely fatal). We all know that long periods of exposure to the harsh sun, particularly during the noonday hours and especially without sun protection, is not a smart thing to do. We don’t want our skin to age. We don’t want all those wrinkles. And we certainly don’t want to get skin cancer, not even the nonfatal kind!

So I’m not saying that sun protection isn’t important; what I am saying is that we’ve gone so far overboard that we’ve become sun phobic, and that’s starting to increase some of the health risks that come when you body doesn’t get enough sun and therefore doesn’t get enough sun and therefore doesn’t get enough sun and therefore doesn’t make enough vitamin D.

First things first: it’s virtually impossible to get enough vitamin D from your diet alone. Very few foods contain vitamin DS; it’s mostly in oily fish such as salmon (wild, not farm-raised) and mackerel, which you’d have to eat three to five times a week to get your vitamin D requirement. Cod liver oil is another good source, but let’s face it, most people aren’t going to run out and buy cod liver oil, let alone start taking it every day!

EMBRACE THE SUN SENSIBLY
So what do we do about it? Simple. We get sensible sunlight.

Think about it: We evolved in sunlight, points out Michael Holick, M.D., Ph.D., a recognized expert on vitamin D and the author of The UV Advantage. We were bathed in sunlight; we feel better in sunlight. An sunlight provides us with a gift, which is vitamin D. We can use the sun’s power to generate activated vitamin D in our bodies, which can help protect against various kinds of cancer and other diseases. We’re also finding it may also help regulate insulin, which is a huge factor in diabetes and obesity. And it can definitely help with mood and energy.

Here’s another think to think about: Ever notice how you have a lot of energy-draining muscle aches and pains during the winter? And how a lot of people attribute that to the cold weather? Well, vitamin D is very important to muscle function. People who are vitamin D deficient are prone to muscle weakness, more likely to fall, and more likely to experience bone fractures.

So how much sun are we talking about? What could you do right now to harness the power of the sun to improve your life, your health, and your well-being? Well, it depends a lot on the pigment of your skin and where you live. Holick says that for most Caucasians who live where there is sunlight, exposing about 10 percent of your body for 5 to 10 minutes two or three times a week is enough to get your vitamin D requirement. Darkskinned people who live in the northearn latitudes need more. (After that, put on the sunscreen and relax!)

The sun offers life. It offers the ability to make a life-enhancing vitamin that most people are deficient in, and it offers the ability to regulate “feel-good” chemicals in the brain so that your sense of well-being and happiness is improved, along with your energy!

The bottom line: Don’t be sun phobic.