My Boot Camp Diary – Day 72

What a difference an hour makes

Posted by Pam

The time change always gets me. I always feel out of sorts gaining or losing an hour. And the dark evenings of fall and winter make me want to curl under a blanket and hibernate. On the other hand, seeing the sun shining as I drove to Boot Camp this morning made me feel energized. I think it also helped that the roads were clear and dry again.

I felt really good at Boot Camp this morning. Maybe it was the hour we gained yesterday. Maybe it was all the positive energy from my fellow campers. We may be at different fitness levels, but every single person there gives her personal 100 percent. It’s really inspiring to work out with such a group of motivated people.

But it could be the benefits of sunlight. According to a June 2007 study, not getting enough direct sunlight can increase our chances of cancer by at least 70 percent. Our bodies need natural sunlight to synthesize adequate amounts of Vitamin D in order to keep our bones strong and healthy, as well as support the immune system.

This article says you would need to drink more than a quart of milk a day to get your minimum requirements of Vitamin D. Or you can expose at least 20 percent of your skin to sunlight all year round for up to 10 minutes a day without any SPF and you would get the same amount of Vitamin D. Fairer skinned people need less direct sunlight to get the Vitamin D they need.

That doesn’t mean you should sit outside all day without sun protection or that you should be hanging out in tanning beds. Everything in moderation.

 

Vitamin D: Are you getting enough?

Are you getting enough vitamin D?

Vitamin D is important for maintaining your calcium levels, boosting your immune system, assisting with blood pressure regulation, and it contibutes beneficially in the fight against osteoporosis, cancer, and Alzheimer’s disease.

People living in the northern hemisphere usually don’t get enough. Vitamin D can be easily obtained from the sun. To get vitamin D from the sun, you need to spend 20 minutes, daily, in the sun. And you need to have enough skin exposed to absorb it. And having a jacket on and your hands and face, with or without sunscreen, exposed, will allow you enough exposure for property absorption. You have to expose your chest and back to get enough in 20 minutes!

Now, I don’t know about you all, but I live in Monument, where in the winter, there’s usually always snow on the ground. The warmest it usually gets up here is 60 degrees. That’s not warm enough for me to go walking with my chest and back exposed.

So, what to do? Supplements! How much? It’s recommended that you consume 1000 units of Vitamin D, daily. And some people get vitamin D in their orange juice or milk, or other foods. Do you track it to be sure you’re getting enough?

For me, it’s easier to take the supplement, than to try to figure out, on a daily basis, how much I get from my milk…oh, and did I have enough orange juice, which is high in calories, and I really shouldn’t consume at all.

Are you aware of your need for Vitamin D? Are you getting enough, daily?