THE BIBI DAILY
5.11

Time to work on that tan!

The sun has had a bad wrap in recent years. Too much sun can cause skin damage in the form of sunburns, premature aging, and even cancer. But that doesn't mean that you should be avoiding it altogether. A healthy dose of sun can do the body a lot of good. Here's why...

 
VITAMIN D DOWNLOAD. When your skin is exposed to beautiful gorgeous sunlight, UVB rays hit cholesterol stored in your skin cells. This fuels the synthesis of Vitamin D. Why is Vitamin D so important? Well for starters, you need it to absorb calcium to promote bone growth. Without this comes issues like bone loss and osteoporosis. Vitamin D also plays a critical role in brain development by maintaining brain function regulation and a healthy central nervous system. Vitamin D deficiency is common in people with Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, depression, anxiety disorders, and dementia. 
 

WHO NEEDS TO GET 'LIT' THE MOST? A recent study showed that 41.6% of Americans are Vitamin D deficient. You'd think that having darker skin means you are less likely to have Vitamin D deficiency right? Wrong. 69.2% of Hispanics and 82.1% of African Americans were found to be deficient in Vitamin D. Sorry to bum you out. Now that you are thoroughly depressed and worried, we got some good news!
 

 
THIS IS WHERE THINGS LOOK UP, LITERALLY. The best source of Vitamin D is the good ol' sun! The best time of day to get sun is midday when the sun is at its brightest. The more skin that is exposed the better so put on those tanks and daisy dukes! Heck, even a bikini or speedo :) 10-30 minutes a day is enough for most people. People with darker skin may need up to 2 hours a day. To get your daily dose of sun go for a nice walk, run, or do your workout outside. You can also do some reading or grab your laptop and work under the sun. Whatever you do, make the time work for you.
 

SUPPLEMENT THE SUN WITH THIS. Be an overachiever and take a calcium, magnesium, and zinc, supplement with Vitamin D added. This will ensure you are feeding your bones, immune system, and getting Vitamin D all in one. 

 
 
Cheers,
Bibi