Sunshine is the very source of life on Earth. Without it, there would be very little life form.
Not only that, sunlight provides vital nourishment that supports your physical and mental wellbeing like nothing else can.
People who don't get enough sunshine often experience lowered immunity, making them far more susceptible to a host of diseases, including breast, prostate and bowel cancers, as well as osteoporosis, arthritis, depression and anxiety.
In addition, sunshine is a crucial source of Vitamin D, which is essential for a healthy functioning liver and body and for repelling all kinds of viruses and infections, including colds and flu.
It's important to remember that mother nature in her infinite wisdom created the sun to give us life and health. With this in mind, it is important to respect rather than fear the sun.
Here, we reveal four key reasons why you should consciously embrace sunshine to strengthen your overall health and wellbeing.
1. Vital Vitamin D
Vitamin D deficiency is a world wide health problem.
Therefore, one of the most important reasons to get more sunshine is because it is widely acknowledged as the natural best source of vitamin D.
Vitamin D is a powerful immunity booster that allows the liver to activate the immune system, helping your body to resist all kinds of illnesses.
Sunlight is undoubtedly the best source of vitamin D you can get. In fact, other synthetic sources of Vitamin D may actually add unwanted toxicity to your body, so it's a good idea to avoid unnatural sources.
Strictly speaking, vitamin D is not actually a "vitamin", but a steroid hormone precursor that is primarily formed when the face and body is exposed to sunshine.
Deficiencies in vitamin D are widespread, simply because people either simply don't get into the sun enough, or because people consciously choose to avoid the sun because out of fear that the sun is dangerous.
As a result, perhaps tens of millions of men and women each year fall victim to completely avoidable diseases like prostate cancer and breast cancer which could be avoided by regular exposure to natural sunlight.
Learn more in 7 Key Reasons You Need Sunlight
2. Reduce Risk of Breast, Prostate & Bowel Cancer
Getting enough sunshine can actually help prevent cancer rather than cause it.
In fact, studies show that there is a 30-50% reduced risk of breast, bowel and prostate cancer from developing in people who get regular exposure to sunshine.
For example, it is known that women who limit their exposure to sunshine will have increased risk of breast cancer, in addition to an increased risk of bone diseases like osteoporosis and arthritis.
Researchers have found that breast tissues produce their own cancer "knock-out" compound, known as calcitriol, that destroys breast cancer tumors.
In order to make calcitriol, however, tissues in the breast need Vitamin D. And the best way to get Vitamin D, is to expose your skin to natural sunlight for a responsible amount of time on a regular basis.
In other words, the research is finding that the human body can prevent and even recover from different forms of cancer all by itself if it is supported with the right nutrients. And sunshine is one of the most vital!
3. Autoimmune Disease Prevention
Autoimmune diseases are conditions that occur when your immune system turns on your body.
Many diseases of today are autoimmune because of the modern day lifestyle and heavily processed inflammatory food diets, which cause plaque and dysfunction to proliferate in the body.
Plaque accumulation occurs when the body's natural channels of elimination begin to clog up and eventually shut down. And generally the greatest sources of plaque are processed foods, toxicity in the environment and chemicals used in personal care products.
By being very conscious about your body's four main channels of elimination, you will go a long way to ensuring that plaque does not accumulate and that your body's immunity stays strong and does not begin to shut down.
The four channels of elimination are:
- Defecation
- Urination
- Perspiration and
- Respiration
And the best ways to support your body to eliminate waste efficiently are, eating a clean whole food diet rich in locally sourced seasonal produce, drinking enough water, moving your body daily (to the point of a sweat) and getting enough sunshine.
4. Lowered Risk of Skin Cancer
Even though for decades we've been told that sunshine causes skin cancer, the truth is that sensible exposure to sunshine is actually good for you.
Whilst it is true that excess time in the sun can cause damage, if you don’t overdo it, you will get the benefits of sunshine without the harmful effects.
By exposing your face and body to just 15-30 minutes of natural sunlight in the morning when the sun is at low intensity, your body will benefit from the nutrients that the sun delivers.
It's important to remember that humanity has survived and thrived without synthetic sunscreen for centuries and we can too. In fact, many of today's sunscreens not only block UV rays as intended, but unfortunately they contain petrochemicals that are known cancer-causing agents. This is why commercial sunblock products should be reconsidered when there are much safer, organic and natural varieties available these days such as Sun Loves Me.
The reality is, people are only susceptible to sunburns and damage when they expose themselves irresponsibly to sun for extended periods or they have severe nutritional deficiencies caused by consuming too many processed foods, refined sugars, soft drinks, white flour and other similar substances.
Additionally, the risk is higher when you don't eat an abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables that are seasonally grown produce which has rich anti-oxidant content that nourishes and protects the skin.
People who have a very poor diet will generally burn easily. However, those who embrace a wholesome diet and limit processed and junk foods will be far less likely to suffer from sunburn, particularly when the skin is gradually acclimated to sun exposure over time.
In a nut shell, when you pay attention to your diet and you responsibly embrace sunshine, you will support a robust immune system in your body which is far less susceptible to disease, viruses and infections.
Tips to get more sunshine in your day:
- Every morning for 15 minutes, find a quiet place outside in the sunlight to meditate, read a book, listen to a podcast or enjoy your morning coffee (expose as much of your body as possible)
- Eat lunch outside in the park rather than in doors
- Exercise outside so that you get the dual benefit of movement and sunlight at the same time
- Mow the lawn or do your gardening during the morning sunlight hour
- Walk the dog to the park and sit on the grass in the sun for 10-15 minutes
- Talk a morning walk on the beach and combine it with barefoot earthing
The Main Takeaway
Sunshine plays a vital role in delivering nutrients to the body that strengthens your immunity and will help to ward off a variety of sickness, viruses and dis-ease, including many cancers.
Your mental, physical and emotional health all depend on natural sunshine to function optimally and to provide the "feel-good" chemicals that can support happiness and joy.
A small change to your daily lifestyle that includes a sensible exposure to sunshine, can make a huge change to your overall health and wellbeing.
And when you do it consciously and make it simple and pleasurable, there's no reason at all not too. Your body and mind will love you for it!
Tolman Self Care.
