Vitamin D - The sunshine effect on your health and well-being x

 

Who’s enjoyed the past few days of sunlight ?! Me for sure. I get really down in the dumps with weather that does not create light and shadows.  I think that summer is often a time where we feel happier and more optimistic about life – often a great initiator to start a fitness programme, summer days and summer nights help us to improve our overall health.  We have a natural suppressing of appetite and a tend to eat more fruit and veg which can often result in us losing the weight we gained over the dark winter months. I’ve already mentioned that sunlight, especially in the morning, can control feelings of hunger, and to be honest, a 10-minute stroll outside just makes you feel good.

And, whilst we must take care to how we expose ourselves to sunlight, from time of day, length of time in the sun and the application of sun cream as well as covering up etc, we should not discount the huge benefits that sunshine brings to the body via Vitamin D. Vitamin D is key to bone density – and remember, that this is a significant factor if you are also going through the menopause –  by keeps calcium within its normal range to maintain cellular function and mineralise the skeleton to keep it strong.  Vit D deficiency has also been linked to increased chances of cancer, cardiovascular disease, MS, arthritis and Type 1 Diabetes. So sensible sun exposure, along with a diet that has fish, eggs, a small amount in meat and wild mushrooms, plus taking a supplement if these are not part of your current diet.

As someone who suffered from chronic pain, I craved sunlight, and it seems that Vit D also plays its part here too – in a study in 2017, by Helde-Franklin they found that people with low levels of Vitamin D had increased pain and a resulting increase in pain-relieving medicine to help.  A simple 10 minutes in the sun can help reduce pain and increase feelings of well-being.

And a walk on the sunny side of the street has been shown to improve neurotransmitter health and reduce depression, so, get outside, enjoy the sunlight xx