Fitness Tip of the Week: Benefits of Sunlight

You exercise every day, you eat healthy, but are you getting enough sunshine? Most people have heard that the body generates vitamin D when the skin is exposed to the sun, but while that's cool, what good is Vitamin D anyway? How long do we have to be out in the sun to get enough of it?

Why Vitamin D is Important

In recent studies, deficiency in vitamin D has been linked to everything from cancer and heart disease to diabetes. Believe it or not, nearly three-quarters of American adults and teens don't get enough of the “Sunshine Vitamin!” Doctors recommend being exposed to the sun at mid-day (without sunscreen) for 5-10 minutes, three days a week. If there is cloud-cover or pollution in the air, you will need to be outside longer. (I know, so sad, right?)

Vitamin D supplements are available, but doctors recommend getting as much of the vitamin from sunlight as possible, as it lasts longer, and of course, it's free! Think of it as nature's gift to you: a free lifetime supply of Vitamin D.

If you don't think you're quite hitting your sunlight quota, make it weekly goal to take a walk, have a picnic, do a little yard work, or soak up some rays by the pool. Boosting those vitamin D levels is a great way to strengthen your body's system and boost your energy!