What the Primal Blueprint means to me. Law#8 Get adequate sunlight

Time to get some sun

Another often neglected aspect of good health is getting enough sunlight. Surely by now we can all agree that getting some sun is good for us. There is a reason why Seasonal Affective Disorder exists, in large part due to the great decrease in sunlight we are exposed to during the winter months. Sunlight allows for the production of vitamin D, which is essential to many aspects of our health, including psychological. I'm sure everybody has noted the recent surge of 'are you getting enough calcium?' advertisements and health notices, especially aimed at children and promoting yogurts. As with a lot of things we have discussed so far (such as eating less fat does not equal less body fat), the relationship between consuming enough calcium and bone health, etc is not linear. Vitamin D plays a key role in the absorption and synthesis of calcium into the bones and rest of the body, and as such getting little to no sunlight will effectively negate all those calcium+ yoghurts and other additions made for this purpose. For this and many other reasons aside, getting adequate sunlight is essential.

But, too much sunlight will burn or cause skin cancer some people will say. I believe that this is why mark has dubbed the law adequate sunlight, i.e. enough, but not too much. Laying on a suntan bed for 2 hours daily will obviously damage your skin and cause damage, and anybody doing this should be well aware that they will be suffering in the future. On the other end of the spectrum, working 9 hour office days, followed by time at home in front of the TV and not getting enough direct sunlight will also cause damage. There is also evidence that a lack of sunlight (and vitamin D) relates to skin cancer. So there we have it, not too much, not too little. So how much is just right? the answer isn't really definite. But there are a few good suggestions. One is that having a slight tan suggests that you are getting enough sunlight, but not so much that you have burned. Spending 15-30 minutes in direct sunlight (maybe on a nice walk to fill some of our exercise goals), on a daily basis might well be enough. In part it depends how fair skinned you are, as some of us burn far quicker. Experiment, if you come near burning then you have been out for far too long. If you have that good feeling from getting outside and actually experiencing nature and the sun, rather than sitting in a dark room, then you might have it just right. Another option I use currently is supplementing vitamin d in winter months and when the weather has been terrible or I have needed to spend too much time in the lab recently (actually, this is most of the time right now). This by no means substitutes for actual sun exposure, but part of the primal blueprint is using modern methods to attempt to emulate our ancestors lifestyle. Not a perfect solution, but definitely helpful.

There you have it, law 8 is as simple as it sounds, get some sunlight on a daily basis to improve your health, mood, and many other factors aside. It is also something that can be combined with other laws, particularly the exercise laws. Going for a sprint, do it in the sun. Lifting weights, maybe in the garden/park rather than in the gym. Walk in the sun to work rather than drive. All these small changes have drastically beneficial effects.

Respectfully,

Sam