Additional menu

Janet Starr Hull PhD, CN

Alternative Health and Holistic Nutrition

5 Hot And Healthy Tips For Fun In The Sun

By

A picture of the bright sun.
Get at least 20 minutes of sunshine every day.

It’s summer on the northern-half of the planet, so it’s a perfect time to get more exercise and natural vitamin D.

Here’s some of my healthiest tips to enjoy the sunshine:

Tip #1

Don’t be afraid of the sun.

Go outside in the early morning or at sunset, and absorb some vitamin D from the sun when the intensity is less powerful.

The importance of vitamin D:

An apple sliced in half with the seeds.
Vitamin D is not found in foods.

Vitamin D isn’t like most other vitamins. Your body makes its own vitamin D when you expose your skin to sunlight.

So, because it’s up to your body to make its own vitamin D, this is an easy and natural way to secure good health, like having strong and healthy bones. Vitamin D from sunlight is important for your muscles, heart, lungs and brain, and it boosts your immune system, which supports your body’s ability to fight infections.

Vitamins are chemicals that the body uses to function properly, and the vitamin D that you absorb through your skin from sunlight is chemically changed by your body a number of times before it can be used. Once it’s ready, your body uses it to manage the amount of calcium in your blood, bones, and in your gut. What’s really neat is that vitamin D helps cells all over your body to communicate with one another.

A beautiful woman with her face photoshoped to show one side with make-up and one side without make-up.
Protect your skin from sun damage.

Tip #2

Protect your skin from UVA  and UVB:

  1. When you have been in the sun for too long, cover up. You have gotten a healthy dose of the sun’s vitamin D after 20 minutes or so.
  2. Use sunscreen. The jury’s out on the safety of many sunscreens on the market today, or if products over 15 SPF do your body any good. Google natural suncreen, and learn about your options. Here is a link to a good article about safe sunscreen.
  3. Wear a hat and UV-absorbent sunglasses. A wide brim hat is better than a baseball cap, but the goal is to protect your neck, ears, eyes, forehead, nose, and scalp.
  4. Limit your exposure and the time of day when you are in the sun. The ideal time to enjoy the sun is before 10:00 AM and after 4:00 PM.

Tip #3

Get at least 20 minutes of sun every day.

Vitamin D is a unique vitamin, to say the least. To get enough vitamin D you need to expose your skin to sunlight regularly, but you may need to take a supplement if you live in a place that receives little sunshine during certain times of the year.

Foods do not contain vitamin D, so getting the right amount of vitamin D cannot depend on the foods you eat. This is what makes getting the right amount of vitamin D a little more complex compared to other vitamins and minerals found in healthy foods.

Tip #4

A glass of clear water with lemon slices.
Drink plenty of water when you are in the sun.

Stay hydrated; drink plenty of water.

I can write an article alone on the benefits of water, but I’ll cover the highlights here. Drinking water is essential to your health. Period.

Water is a nutrient that your body needs to survive. 

The best source of water is from PURE SPRING WATER, but water is present in many liquids, various drinks like tea, and in foods, like watermelon. All of these are essential to have daily to replace the large amounts of water lost each day, especially when you are in the sun.

You continuously lose water every minute of every day from skin evaporation, breathing, urine, and through your stool, and these losses must be replaced daily for good health. When your water intake does not equal your output, you become dehydrated.

Here are 6 top reasons why drinking water is healthy for you, and these are very important if you spend a lot of time in the sun:

  1. Drinking water helps you maintain your balance of body fluids;
  2. Water help control calories, and cuts hunger;
  3. Water energizes your muscles by keeping them hydrated (and this helps eliminate chronic fatigue);
  4. Water keeps your skin looking young;
  5. Water helps your kidneys by flushing toxins from your body;
  6. Water maintains healthy bowel function (which helps with IBS).
A picture of two bottles of Niora Naturals Skin Care Products
I highly recommend NIORA Naturals skin care products

Tip #5

Use a good body lotion/skin cream.

You should use a pure and natural moisturizer everyday no matter what, but if you spend a lot of time in the sun, use a body moisturizer throughout the day, and one that is specifically made for your face. During the day, use moisturizers that contain a sunscreen.

There are many good moisturizers on the market, but I use, and highly recommend, NIORA Naturals product line. I’ve used NIORA for years, and I’m in the sun everyday.

Don’t fear the sun, even if you have a history of skin cancer. Learn the many ways that you can gather natural vitamin D from sunlight in safe and healthy ways.

 

You have our permission to reprint this article if you attribute us with a live back-link to this article. https://janethull.com/healthynews/.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only, and is educational in nature. The FDA may not have evaluated some of the statements.  This article is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Please discuss with your own, qualified health care provider before adding supplements or making any changes to your dietary program.