Spring arrived here on the High Plains, a few weeks ago. The temperatures are often in the 70’s for our morning walk now. It’s been months since we’ve been able to walk with so few clothes. It’s wonderful to feel the warmth of the sun on bare flesh. It’s been a long, cold Winter and walking all bundled up in multiple layers is okay, but barely. It’s not nearly as much fun as glorifying in the radiant energy of a warm sun.
Soaking up the sun is one of the best things you can do for overall health. The important work’s actually getting done deep inside, at the cellular level. Sunlight negatively charges or crystalizes the water in the cells that make up every part of your body and brain. Sunlight improves mitochondrial function and destroys free radicals. It’s a super-power, that you should embrace as often as posssible.
“O, Sunlight! The most precious gold to be found on Earth.” ~ Roman Payne
Moving matters too, so while you gather your daily dose of healing sunlight, you might as well double down with some exercise, (like walking). Mitochondria thrive on movement. A sharp mind and a fit body require movement, and plenty of it. Something that we’ve been doing a lot less of since the Industrial Revolution drastically altered life on our little blue-green planet. We spend too much time, driving about in the car, sitting behind the computer or scrolling on the phone in the comfortable confines of the over-stuffed, Lazy-Boy.
Healing Power of the Sun
One of the first things we do every morning here at the cottage is open all the curtains and blinds; so we can watch the sun, as it crests the eastern horizon. Morning sun regulates serotonin and cortisol production and resets your Circadian clock. Being in tune with the sun balances appetite as well as mood. It also improves sleep patterns, allowing your body to rejuvenate and awaken feeling relaxed and refreshed. Putting the blue-light emitting screens away a few hours before bedtime helps too.
Studies have shown that getting plenty of exposure to the sun, reduces depression and fatigue; even beyond the valuable vitamin D it provides. And that’s why, I’m so looking forward to Spring. People who don’t get enough sun have a much higher risk of many chronic conditions, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, autism and Alzheimer’s disease. Epidemiological evidence suggests that sunlight exposure protects against many different types of cancer. Ultraviolet radiation is excellent therapy for various skin conditions, including psoriasis, eczema, jaundice and acne. Sunlight may also be beneficial in healing some autoimmune diseases, like rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, inflammatory bowel disease and thyroiditis.
Don’t Be SAD
Seasonal Affective Disorder, (SAD) is an undeniable malady in the upper latitudes and puts a lot of stress on folks during the Winter months, especially older folks. Sunlight is the cure for SAD, in fact the sun nourishes everything on our little earth ship. It fires up your growth hormones and provides the energy you need to heal, repair, recover, and grow. It also metabolizes calcium into the bones and promotes stronger skeletal structure.
While Vitamin D and it’s various functions aren’t completely understood yet, it’s clear that this hormone is essential for your health and that the human body is encoded with Vitamin D receptors; and nature doesn’t make mistakes. There is a significant amount of bad press out there about the sun and how you need to slather sunscreen all over your skin to protect yourself. Many of these sunburn savers are laden with toxic chemicals and known carcinogens, like aluminum. If you’re going to butter yourself or your kids up with this stuff, please do the research.
No Need to Fear
It’s not uncommon to hear that the sun makes your skin old and leathery or causes skin cancer, and that you’d be far better off hiding in the basement or something, but it’s not true. Many folks believe that they’re protecting themselves from skin cancer with sunscreen but they may be increasing their risk. Sunscreen interferes with the body’s natural mechanisms, which have been perfected over hundreds of thousands of years of evolution. Granted, a little caution is warranted but you need to get out there. I’m about as pale-skinned as a person can get and I’m out there as much as possible. I get all the bare skin time when the UV’s are low. You can get a UV forecast on your phone just like the wind or weather forecast.
Below about 5, it’s no problem getting a couple hours with as few clothes as possible – to soak up all that solar goodness. If we’re going to be out in the middle of the day when the UV rays are a little more ferocious, we don the sun blocking clothes, hats and neck gaiters. Because of this campaign of fear around the sun, Vitamin D deficiency has become a major problem in our society.
“More than three fourths of all Americans are vitamin D-deficient.” ~ John Cannell, MD
This hormone deficiency opens the door to numerous other diseases, immune system breakdowns and deteriorating bone health, and that’s just the beginning; Solar exposure and Vitamin D are vital to mitochondrial and cellular health. The sun has many incredible healing qualities and has been embraced for centuries by numerous cultures to deliver radiant health. And evidence from numerous studies suggest that oral vitamin D supplementation doesn’t cut it. Humans need sunlight.
Get Out There
Here’s a brief list of the benefits of getting some sunshine on your shoulder –
- Regulates your Circadian clock
- Acts as a disinfectant
- Improves skin disorders
- Improves the immune system
- Improves cholesterol
- Improves blood oxygen
- Helps regulate blood pressure
- Detoxes the pulmonary system
- Lowers cancer risks
- Makes you happy
I’m sure there are many more benefits but you get the idea. Just get out there and take a walk in the sunshine.