Oh the sun... How I love thee, no really I am not kidding. I love the sun. I love to spend hours sitting in it rays, soaking them up, relaxing, reading a book, gardening, spending time with Hublet and our two dogs, Mungo and Otto, or collectively "the Boys", most of the time I am correcting the Boys though because they are too busy barking at everything and anything that moves, crazy dogs. How I enjoy working on my tan...
Ok, enough day dreaming. I already did that while I laid in the sun this afternoon. Let us get to business. To sun or not to sun, with or without sunscreen. I am going with sun and without sunscreen. Following are my reasons.
The sun is healthy for us. Think about it, if the sun were not healthy for us, then why would have God given it to us? The sun is the center of our solar system, it shines for about half of the day, well more during the summer and less during the winter, but you get the point. It is a very important part of our days. It makes everything grow. The sun has a powerful effect on our mood. When the sun does not shine for days or weeks at a time, do you get depressed? When you spend time in the sun, does it make you feel happy, is your day better because you were in the sun? It should be. When we are in the sun, our bodies produce Vitamin D, which can also be called the "Happy Vitamin". When our Vit D levels are adequate, we have less depression, anxiety, mood swings and mood disorders. This vitamin plays very important roles for our mental health.
One of the best sources of Vit D is the sun. Others I have mentioned are cod liver oil, milk, cheese, organ meats, and anything which has been fortified, but we do not do processed foods any longer, remember, so we need natural sources. With the sun being one of the best sources of this important vitamin, how is it best to obtain it? Great question. First, we want to be in the sun, in the suns direct rays, with out any sunscreen. Without any sunscreen!? Are you crazy? Well, as a matter of fact a little, but not in this regard. You see, when we wear sunscreen, our bodies are not able to absorb the full spectrum of the suns rays. The sunscreen blocks it. When we can not absorb the full spectrum of the rays, our bodies can not produce Vit D. When we do not produce Vit D we suffer greatly. Everything from becoming sick, to cancer, to our genes not coding correctly, to mental health issues. So you see, Vit D is important for our health and the sun is just as important so you can make it! They go hand in hand.
There are some very dangerous chemicals in sunscreen. Have you ever taken the time to read the back? It is pretty scary what is in it. Through research, there is thought that from the combination of chemicals in the sunscreen along with the sun, they can interact and actually cause cancer. This is how scary these chemicals are. You are doing more harm to your body by putting that sunscreen on than leaving it off.
But what about skin cancer and other cancers from damage from the sun? These do exist and can be deadly. All you need to do is take a few precautions and you shall be good. After the long winter and no laying out in the sun, take your time and build up a natural defense against the sun, a tan. Start with a few minutes a day of being in the sun, until your skin turns a like pink, work your way up to longer periods. If for some reason you have to be out in the sun for a long period of time before you have built up your tan, then cover up, if you have to form head to toe. Wear a hat to protect your face and eyes. But, try to avoid sunglasses. Just as important as the sun is for our skin, it is just as important for our eyes. Even if you have been spending time in the sun and you feel like you are beginning to burn, either get out of the sun or cover up. Covering up is a far better option than slathering yourself in chemical laden sunscreen. If for some reason you will not be able to cover up, you can try and find an all natural sunscreen. There are some out there, you just have look for them. In the end, you are far more likely to have cancer from not being in the sun enough than having too much sun. In the end, it is burning that causes you to have sun damage. When you take precautions and do not burn, you have all of the benefits from the sun and none of the negative effects.
The sun is not the same in all parts of the world. Up here where I live in Northern Utah I will not have the same intense rays as someone who lives near the equator. So who cares? Well, you should if you want all of the benefits from the sun, mainly producing your Vit D. The farther away form the sun you are, the less of the full spectrum rays which are emitted. These are the rays your body needs to produce Vit D. Therefore, when we live farther from the equator we usually need to supplement to have our levels where they need to be. For example, I had my levels checked and they were not above the 50 ng/dl, so I sat in the sun everyday through the summer for about an hour a day, I worked up to it. At the end of the summer, I had my levels checked and they still were not where they needed to be. So, I began supplementing with a high quality Vit D, and now my levels are perfect. Remember before beginning a regime of Vit D you have your level checked.
Other things the sun has great benefits for is your skin. If you want wrinkle free skin, you want to be in the sun. Between the sun and Vit. D, your body will begin to build collagen. I do not know about you, but I want that sun kissed glow on my skin, and for it to look healthy and wrinkle free. On the flip side, you do not want to be out in the sun so long you are tanning deeply or burning, these will destroy your skin. We have all seen those woman who spend so much time in the sun, they are all wrinkly and leathery. This is because of the long hours they have spent in the sun. There is a difference between being in the sun, enjoying it's health benefits, having a healthy sun kissed glow, but not so much that you are tanning darkly or excessively. Just like everything else in life, it is about a balance and you need to find that balance for youself.
I hope I have given you some good reasons to want to go out into the sun and enjoy it, soak it up. If not, or even if I have, go do some research on your own to help you understand the benefits of the sun and Vitamin D!
Until next time, I will be enjoying the last of the summer rays and God bless,
Jenn
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