Our #METRON challenge this week is to get at least 20 minutes of uninterrupted exposure to natural sunlight every day...we hear a lot these days about the obvious dangers of too much exposure to the sun from dermatologists, but there are also many benefits to our physical and emotional health from sunlight...sunlight can aid in sending cancer into remission...the sun's light kills bad bacteria...sunlight has a beneficial effect on skin disorders, such as psoriasis, acne, eczema and fungal infections of the skin...sunlight lowers cholesterol..the sun's rays lower blood pressure...sunlight penetrates deep into the skin to cleanse the blood and blood vessels...sunlight increases oxygen content in human blood, and it also enhances the body's capacity to deliver oxygen to the tissues (very similar to the effects of exercise)...the sun has a great effect on stamina, fitness and muscular development..sunlight builds the immune system..the white blood cells, which increase with sun exposure, are called lymphocytes, and these play a major role in defending the body against infections...regular sunlight exposure increases the growth and height of children, especially babies...studies have shown the amount of sun exposure in the first few months has an effect on how tall the person grows...and sunlight can cure, or at least minimize depression...
I know that many of you who live where it's snowing right now are participating in the challenges, and here in the ATL area it's supposed to rain this week, so it's going to require some creativity to meet this one...some days you may just have to sit inside by a window and get as much sunlight as you can...but the optimum is to get yourself outdoors and make some significant contact with the sun...and even on grey and cloudy days, the sun is still shining through the clouds, so it's not impossible to do this...
Take a pic of yourself soaking up some rays this week, or take one like this awesome and inspirational shot that Ken Marshall took yesterday while we were sitting outside getting some solar-powered vitamin D, and post it with the hashtag!
"Humans make thousands of units of vitamin D within minutes of whole body exposure to sunlight. From what we know of nature, it is unlikely such a system evolved by chance"
- Dr. John Cannell, Executive Director, Vitamin D Council.
No comments:
Post a Comment