I love my Helen Kaminski handmade Raffia hat. I can’t wear it anywhere without someone commenting on its style. It’s so easy to tuck in my purse and pull out every time the sun comes out, or I’m just having a bad hair day. Bingo, no matter how crumbled it gets, it springs back into shape, making it my good luck charm from too much sun exposure, and giving me a sense that I’m on the up and up in regards to healthy skin and cancer prevention. But new research suggests that some sensible sun is good for you.

According to current studies, ample amounts of vitamin D, the sunshine vitamin, which includes both supplementation and at least some sunshine each day, lowers your risk for a variety of health concerns including: osteoporosis, breast cancer, melanoma, and multiple sclerosis. Yes, especially with winter fast approaching when a balanced lifestyle has you exercising regularly to help maintain stronger bones, its time to think about your vitamin D3 intake. This is the kind you only get from the sun and not just from a pill or the milk carton at your grocery. According to the  UV Foundation, an organization which studies the biologic effects of ultra violet light, its time for us to have a healthier view of sunshine. http://www.uvfoundation.org

Many Americans are at risk for Vitamin D deficiency especially in these upcoming winter months when UV levels are at their lowest.  One study showed adolescent girls in Maine are at high risk, another showed African Americans at an even greater one, but most Americans stand at a 30-50% risk of being deficient. But that doesn’t mean you want to fly south for the holidays and come back with sunburn. Just ten minutes a day will do it. But because sunscreen lowers the vitamin D your body gets, let that golden globe shine on your naked face before putting on that SPF 8 to prevent over exposure. This balanced approach of managing your fun in the sun lifestyle may actually call T-cells to the surface of your skin and prevent skin cancer. Getting a little sunshine will even help your body with calcium absorption. http://uvadvantage.org/

Have you had your UV today? Do it in a balanced way. If you can’t get out in the sun, another possibility is to go to a tanning salon. One study showed that people who use tanning beds moderately (once a week) have higher bone density. But if going to a tanning salon cuts too far into your time budget, why not try a home unit from Sperti. Their KBD D/UV Table Lamp goes for only $239.00. http://sperti.com/

Of course, when I start thinking about the cheap flights south right now, I can’t help but ask myself which is worth more to me: Trip to the elements home office in South Beach, or a table lamp? Either would do the trick, at least initially. I could always get the table lamp when I come back from my little vacation. I might even read a book on the plane. How about, The UV Advantage: The Medical Breakthrough that Shows How to Harness the Power of the Sun for Your Health ? It’s a hardcover, by Michael Holick, available on Amazon for only $15.56. With a five star reviews by customers, I can’t go wrong.

Either way, I’m keeping my Kaminski hat in my carry-on; it still gets a 10  in my mind. I’m just going to put in on after I’ve absorbed at least 10 minutes of sun over 10% of my body, because I deserve it 100%. Maybe, I’ll even get some wild salmon for dinner tonight. I’m feeling kind of wild just thinking about that vitamin D energy tickling my bones. It has to be wild though, the farm raised ones only have 25% the amount of Vitamin D of their wilder cousins.

Article courtesy of elementsliving.tv

Elements living is an online fitness and lifestyle brand, dedicated to improving your balanced lifestyle.