Don't Be Afraid of The Sun

People are always in shock and disbelief when I tell them I don't wear sunscreen. I love the sun, and I love the way that I look with a tan. I think everybody looks better and feels better with tanned skin. Now I'm not trying to argue that a sunburn is healthy, but I do 100% believe that a sun tan is healthy!

The sun is a giant floating ball of pure energy that provides light and life to all living organisms. Without it, we would die. The sun has a host of benefits that go far past achieving a nice golden tan. I believe the sun also has an important role in maintaining a lean body composition. I use a 14-site skinfold test developed by the late great Charles Poliquin to measure body fat with my clients. Each site is supposedly linked to a different hormone (I think some of them have more merit than others), but one I definitely agree with is the subscapular site (upper back) and its correlation to insulin and your genetic tolerance for carbs.

In theory, the leaner your upper back is, the better you will be able to metabolize carbs. Charles believed that this had to do with where your ancestors resided and coined something called "the equator rule." The closer your ancestors lived to the equator, the more they were exposed to high-carb foods like fruits, the further from the equator they lived, and the bulk of your ancestor's diet probably came from lower-carb foods like hunting animals. The consensus is that your optimal diet is similar to what your ancestors ate.

I think that he was on to something, but in my opinion, the main reason that people who live close to the equator were able to tolerate more carbohydrates and maintain a leaner body composition was due to the amount of time that they spent in the sun. I don't think we fully understand what is happening here yet, but I know that I am drawn to the sun, and the more time I spend in the sun, the easier it is for me to maintain a lean body composition.

This could have something to do with Vitamin D. D3 is involved in every single chemical reaction in the body; it works more like a hormone than a vitamin.

SPOILER ALERT!!!

Wearing sunscreen completely blocks your body's ability to absorb Vitamin D.

To top it all off, if you choose a standard chemical sunscreen off the shelf…not only are you inhibiting all Vitamin D absorption, but you're also loading toxins and carcinogens onto your body's biggest organ, your skin.

I live in Canada. I personally don't wear sunscreen because I make sure to get outside multiple times a week in the summer, and in the winter, I travel to the sun. This means that I always have a pretty good base-level tan and am able to get into the sun without burning.

Here is my best protocol for getting a healthy tan and enjoying the benefits of the sun without burning:

1. Eat real food. The healthier your diet, the healthier the quality of your skin and the less you will burn. If I do stay out in the sun for too long, my burn disappears by the next day instead of taking weeks for most people who consume the SAD (standard american diet.)

2. Titrate up. This is the most important piece of advice that I can give. Instead of opting for sunscreen, be mindful of your sun exposure. Lay out for 15 minutes per day, then 20, then 25, etc. One more note on titrating sun exposure is to prioritize sun exposure in the mornings and afternoons, not only at the sun's peak hours. Being indoors the majority of the time and only being exposed to the sun at peak hours can increase your chances of burning, allowing your body and your skin to regulate themselves. This will build your tolerance to the sun and allow you to maximize sun exposure while minimizing burns.

3. Ditch the sunglasses. A sunburn is much more likely when you wear sunglasses because your eyes sense the sun's strength and protect you from a burn. Sunglasses while driving won't inhibit this ability as UV rays are blocked by our windshields anyway.

4. Hydrate adequately. Make sure you are hydrating properly with high-quality electrolytes and minerals. We know that you cannot hydrate with water alone, supplement with high-quality salts like Redmonds Real Salt and invest in a supplement like Electrolyte Synergy.

5. Opt for a mineral sunscreen with the primary ingredient being Zinc Oxide (If you choose to use it). This will still block your absorption of vitamin D but won't expose you to the toxic offenders in chemical sunscreens.

I want to reiterate that I am in no way arguing that a sunburn is a good thing.

Humans are meant to be outside in nature playing in the sun. Modern-day society has trapped us indoors, brainwashed us into viewing the sun as bad, and identified the solution to sunburning as lathering on sunscreen and staying in the shade.

I believe that the problem is actually that we are not in the sun nearly enough, so our tolerance has gone way down, making a sunburn way more likely and severe.

I believe the answer is to get outside more and build up your tolerance to the sun while reaping the amazing benefits!

Live Virtuously,

AB