For decades, our brains have been bombarded with messages from lobbyists, media, and society saying that we must stay out of the sun or else we’ll die and look old doing so. So we religiously slather on high-tech sun screen to escape the UV assault for the brief moments we may spend outside. We self-tan to look hot, bronze to dazzle, and self-medicate to feel good.
What if all that anti-sun business was a myth? What if there were sexier options than putting chemicals on your skin and craziness on your soul? What if you could be healthy, happy, and alluring in harmony with nature?
Ludicrous, you may scream. And yet, let me show you a new world, my friend.
It’s a sunny place:
1) Smart sun: If you’re deficient in Vit. D, you’re not as sharp & vibrant as you could be. Obviously, you don’t want to bake for 3 hours in the searing afternoon sun. Mid-morning and early evening, though, are excellent time slots to schedule a sun bath. If you’ve been out of the sun forever or have a fair complexion, start slow & build up smart. Don’t overdo it at the beginning or you’ll end up looking like a sorry lobster. I now regularly enjoy 20-30 minutes in the sun and couldn’t be happier.
2) Euphoria: Piggybacking on the above, sunshine makes you feel good. It’s as simple as that. Spend just 5 minutes in the sun and try to be grumpy. What’s more, it’s a completely natural & free mood enhancer, spirit lifter, and joy generator.
3) Your light source, literally: The sun’s vital for your existence. Your body requires optimal amounts of Vitamin D (5000 -10 000 IU) to run at its best. If your Vit. D is low you may feel sluggish, uninspired, disengaged. Boost your drive, creativity, and radiance by embracing the sun. Recharge & expand.
4) Happy hormones: The life-giving energy of sunshine is no joke. In the spring, the sun wakes up nature and inspires new life. Why do you think you feel so blissed out during that tropical vacation? It ain’t just the time off. Your hormones love sunshine because it turns them on.
5) Better Immunity: In this day and age when everyone and their brother is traveling everywhere, germs, bacteria, and other nasty stuff are traveling too. You obviously want to have your pillars for vibrant health such as fresh, whole foods, exercise, meditation, fun, and love in place. But don’t forget the sun! It’s the panacea that amplifies your efforts in other areas and stimulates an optimal immune system that is better equipped to handle whatever comes its way.
6) Zest for life: When your sun tank is full you’re excited for life. Your every cell’s sparkling with an exuberance unbeknownst to those living in the dark.
7) Inner sun screen: Build up an inner sun screen through a healthy diet to enjoy the sun naturally. The lycopene in tomatoes, for instance, prepares your skin for better sun absorption. Be sure to add some good fat such as olive oil to get the highest nutritional benefit. Moreover, a diet rich in green leafy veggies, seaweed, coconut, avocado, and berries not only contributes to your health but also your beauty. Make sure it’s organic, non-GMO, gluten-free and, if possible, local. Always go for quality over quantity. If you find yourself in a situation where you don’t have access to great nutrition, think about giving your digestive system a break. You’d be better off fasting than eating processed, conventional and/or GMO stuff.
8) Tanned & toned: A tan can give you an edge. It can make you feel more confident because your body looks more toned, your muscles appear more defined, and your complexion radiates with life. And ironically, you’ll feel more inspired to exercise regularly when you’re drinking in the solar love. Win-win.
9) Soak up the sun: Sunbathing offers you a unique opportunity to intimately connect with the universe. It’s a primal act. You soak up the sacred life energy directly from source. There’s a reason ancient civilizations revered the sun as a deity.
10) Bone boost: Exposure to sunshine helps keep your bones & teeth in optimal shape. Again, the Vit. D your beautiful body produces while exposed to the sun is crucial for everything to run smoothly. There are even vegan, organic, non-GMO Vit. D3 products available now that you can supplement with if you live in a predominantly overcast area such as the Pacific Northwest, or in a four-season climate, like so many of us do. If you live in the Northern hemisphere, it’s a good idea to take a Vit. D supplement from October-April as the sun isn’t strong enough for your body to create Vit. D.
11) Bonus: Ditch the chemicals. If you want to put on sun screen, use the natural ones. Even plain coconut oil has a mild SPF built in. Be smart, your skin’s your largest organ. You don’t want to drown it in a toxic swamp that’s activated by the sun and leaks into your blood stream. It’s those chemical concoctions you put on that may be harmful. The self-tan/bronzing & sun screen industries are big players. Of course they won’t tell you to think about natural solutions, they’d butcher their profits if they did. Side note: if you do enjoy self-tanning etc, it may be a good idea to look out for products that are organic and cruelty-free.
You are a giant solar panel that needs to be charged in order to shine.
It’s time we develop a healthy relationship with the sun again. She gives us love & light & beauty every day, and even on those days we can’t see her, she’s still there behind the clouds, beaming. Let’s be at peace with the sun and look hot.
