June Jump-Start: 30-minutes to Healthier You

Kick that SADness (1) to the curb and give your body a boost of vitamin D by connecting to the ultimate source of energy – THE SUN!

Spend at least 30 minutes in the sun; 10 minutes – for light to fair skin (2), and you’ll absorb enough sun rays to produce enough vitamin D to last throughout the winter. (3)

According to Andrew Weil, M.D.,

“the body will make 10,000 to 20,000 IU per day with moderate exposure to the summer sun“(4) .

An adult, 19-70 years of age, only needs 600 International Units of vitamin D. This amount will play its role in calcium absorption for healthy bones. It will also produce health benefits for a robust immune system.

Yet, most African-Americans aren’t producing the recommended daily amount of vitamin D. (5) Several factors that limit vitamin D production include:

dark skin, which allows for low absorption of the sun’s UV rays
limited sunlight in the northern part of the United States
obesity
age

There’s enough evidence to confirm that low vitamin D levels are linked to heart deaths, breast cancer, colon cancer, prostate cancer, osteoporosis, insomnia, depression, and weight gain. The latter is a catch-22. If your body is obese, it will hold onto vitamin D like a dog with a bone).

This is one vitamin deficiency that we can quickly eliminate without over-the-counter assistance or prescription.

From now until summer’s end, you can stock up on your reserves of vitamin D just by going for a 30-minute walk at noon or when the sun is highest in the sky.

Leave the sunscreen off, throw on your tank top and shorts, and soak up those rays. Your body will thank you, and the best part – sunlight is still FREE!

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