day 25 - 25 Days of wellness
Hi there! This is the last day of my daily series on wellness in December. if you missed the others, head back to the beginning and follow along at your own pace!
For those of you who have been with me for a little while, thank you for joining! I hope you got some new little ideas of easy changes you can begin to make in your life and feel better in the process! Don’t forget, you can always contact me for a private coaching call or weekly coaching calls, on any of the topics covered here - nutrition, herbs, healthy home, healthy daily habits, healthy conscious movement... You can also join me weekly for bite-sized and fun live Herbal education at my Herb Chats.
DAY 25 - Sunlight
For those of you who celebrate, Merry Christmas!
Regardless of your religious beliefs or culture, you likely have some kind of tradition celebrating LIGHT this time of year.
On the day that my family celebrates the Son of God aka the Light of the World coming to earth to teach us how to connect back to our Heavenly Parents and atone for our mistakes, fears, and suffering, I want to talk about the temporal light of the world as well - the Sun!
Sunlight does many important things for our bodies.
Getting sunlight within the first 30 minutes of waking up in the morning keeps our mitochondria in good condition to maintain circadian rhythm. 4-year-old speak? If you want to have more energy in the day PLUS sleep better, go outside as soon as you wake up!
The blue-light wavelengths of natural sunlight are also critical to our moods. This is why some people use “happy lights” to simulate sunlight if they struggle with seasonal depression and/or live in a climate with very little sunlight in the winter. If you are prone to migraines however, be very cautious with this. I found that I really couldn’t use these without triggering a headache - it’s possible I could be more creative in how I use it though!
Getting sunlight on our skin - especially our torso - triggers vitamin D creation. It takes a lot more hours in the sun during the winter (brrr) to create the same amount of vitamin D as in the summer (ahh…), so I like to safely store up that vitamin D in the summer as best I can. People who live in Northern climates can usually benefit from as much natural vitamin D as they can get. Unfortunately, vitamin D supplements are rarely absorbed correctly and can lead to other problems in the long-run. If you’ve noticed a benefit in your mood or immune-defense after taking vitamin D supplements, I would suggest you look into more natural sources of vitamin D for your body. You’ve proven that you are deficient unless you take the supplements, so let’s convert that over to the forms of vitamin D generation that will be a LONG-TERM benefit for you. What is vitamin D important for? Most notably, your immune system and your bones and teeth. But it’s much more complicated than that. We’ll talk about this some other time :).
Sunlight is a CLEANSER. Many of us grew up afraid of the sun. Wrinkles, freckles, melasma, melanoma… let’s load up on the cancer-causing sunscreen so we don’t get any of those! (cue annoying game-show buzzer sound ehhhhhhhhhh). (Think brand (not an affiliate link but I wish it was) is one I like when I feel the need to protect my skin from the sun, though most of the time I cover with breathable layers (cotton, linen, hemp) and a good sun hat). Here’s the deal. The sun PURIFIES. If there is a toxic condition in the blood, our bodies can push the toxins from the blood to the skin. So if you develop melanoma after being out in the sun, don’t write off the sunshine just yet. Take it as a sign that your blood needs to be cleaned up. And if your blood is toxic, it is likely that your elimination organs are not working properly enough to cleanse that blood (I can help teach you what to do about that!).
Here are some tips on safely harnessing the power of the sun for your whole-body, whole-self health!
Eat a phyto-nutrient rich diet (that’s plants), especially berries and tomatoes and load up on them when they are in season and the sun’s rays are strongest (that’s summer!). These antioxidants help your body be resistant to that toxic sunburn.
Get plenty of chlorophyll into your diet to keep your blood clean (see previous blog posts). Eat enough, and you might just start photosynthesizing!
Observe the times of day where the sun is at its strongest (directly overhead or close to it) and rest inside or in the shade at that time of day
During the times of day where the sun is up but not harsh, spend some time exposing your skin
Work up to sun exposure by sun-bathing first for 1 minute on each side. Increase by up to a minute each day or every few days. You know your body best.
if you feel like you are starting to burn, get out of the sun and put some real aloe vera gel, bentonite clay paste, cool wash rags, or calendula-infused oil on your skin right away. Drink plenty of water. Be a little more careful next time.
As a reminder, none of this constitutes as medical advice, nor can I diagnose or prescribe or treat disease.
I hope you have enjoyed this educational series. Merry Christmas. Happy Holidays. May your days be filled with Light and joy!
I am going to be taking a step back from content creation, as I have a ticking clock on getting all of my materials submitted to attend the Master Herbalist seminar this June 2023. I am still offering my weekly Herb Chats. The Flash Sale on gift cards just ended, but I’ve got a Flash Sale on new memberships right around the corner! Join my mailing list so you don’t miss out on any important announcements!
See ya!
Sarah
