There are many benefits of the sun:
1. Being exposed to sunlight enables your body to make vitamin D from cholesterol in your skin cells. Vitamin D is important in:
2. Helps with our emotional well being. The sun helps to boost the levels of serotonin which is hormone that helps boost our mood. People who do not get enough sunlight especially in fall/winter are prone to having depression and this is called seasonal depressive disorder. One of the treatments for this is light therapy like the sun.
3. Helps to improve sleep quality. Sun exposure plays a big role in maintaining our body’s internal clock, or circadian rhythm. Generally, the circadian rhythm responds to the sun’s light-dark cycle, helping you fall asleep at night (when there’s darkness) and wake up in the morning (when there’s light). It is recommend to be in bright sunlight in the morning to increase your chances of falling asleep earlier in the evening. Exposure to sunshine in the morning increases your melatonin levels which play a key role in regulating your body’s circadian rhythm to help you sleep when it gets dark.
4. Sunlight helps to kill bacteria. We spend a lot of time indoors especially during the winter. Indoor environments can contain dust that carries different types of bacteria, some of which can trigger asthma and allergy symptoms. One study found that sunlight can kill the bacteria that lives in dust indoors. In this study, 1 in 8 bacteria survived in a dark environment, but only 1 in 16 survived after being exposed to sunlight. It’s very important to open your shades/curtains and let more sunlight in to improve the air quality in your home.
How much sunlight should we get?
It depends on your skin tone and where you live. Generally, in the summer, its recommended that:
If you live up north where the sun isn't as powerful, you might need more time outdoors to get the right daily dose of sun exposure for you. If you live in tropical areas where the sun is stronger, you might need less time in the sun to get your recommended exposure.
Keep in mind, regardless of skin tone, spending more time in the sun than is recommended may increase your risk of sunburn or skin cancer. It’s important to be temperate as well when it comes to sunlight!
In summary, sunlight enables our body to make vitamin D, helps boost our mood, improves our sleep quality, and may also help to kill some bacteria indoors.
“Nothing tends more to promote health of body and of the soul than does a spirit of gratitude and praise” Ministry of Healing page 251.
Gratitude is a thankful appreciation or recognition of something that’s been done for us either by a person, by life itself, or perceived from God.
An Ounce of Gratitude is Worth a Pound of Cure
It turns out practicing gratitude can make you happier and healthier. An overwhelming body of research indicates you’re going to experience more joy, vitality, and inner peace if you notice whatever blessings are in your life and give thanks when you experience them.
Gratitude doesn’t make things feel better. It can also make things better. Gratitude is good for your physical, emotional and mental health. “The practice of gratitude can have dramatic and lasting effects in a person’s life”, explains Dr. Emmons.
People who express more gratitude have:
Can practicing gratitude really change your life?
In the study conducted by Dr. Emmons and his colleague Dr. Mike McCullough of the University of Miami, randomly assigned participants were given one of three tasks. Each week participants kept a short journal. One group briefly described five things they were grateful for, that had occurred in the past week, and the other group recorded five daily hassles from the previous week that displeased them. The neutral group was asked to list five events or circumstances that affected them, but they were not told whether to focus on the positive or the negative.
Keep in mind that these groups were randomly assigned and that nothing about their lives were inherently different other than the journaling they were doing.
People in the grateful group listed things such as “sunset through the clouds”, “the chance to be alive”, and “the generosity of friends”.
In the hassles group, people listed familiar things like “taxes”, “hard to find parking”, and “burnt by dinner”. After ten weeks, participants in the gratitude group reported feeling better about their lives as a whole and were 25% happier than the hassled group. They reported fewer health complaints. They were exercising an average of one and a half hours more per week.
In a later study by Dr. Emmons, people were asked to write every day about things for which they were grateful. Not surprisingly, this daily practice led to greater increases in gratitude than did the weekly journaling in the first study. However, the results showed another benefit: Participants in the gratitude group also reported offering others more emotional support or help with a personal problem indicating that the greatest attitude exercise increased their goodwill towards others and more technically their “pro-social” motivation.
Quiz question: What’s the healthiest part of Thanksgiving? Nope, it’s not tofu, the brussels sprouts, or the sweet potato casserole. The most health-promoting aspect of Thanksgiving is right there in the name, giving thanks. Practicing gratitude daily can improve our moods, our fortunes and our communities.
Joseph Bates: A Pioneer in Health
Early Adventist Health Principles
A Family Health Crisis: The Turning Point
Continued Health Reform
Ellen White, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, wrote several books in Health reform, including:
We have been blessed with all these resources to help us live a healthy life. We strongly encourage everyone to read and study these books.
Note: all books are available for free online at whiteestate.org
Beloved, I wish above all things that you may prosper and be in health, even as your soul prospers. (3 John 1:2)
What is physical exercise?
Exercise is defined as "a specific type of physical activity that is planned, structured, and repeatedly done to improve or maintain physical fitness”. Walking, running, cycling, or playing any sports such as soccer, tennis, and pickleball all count as physical exercise!
How many times should we exercise?
In general, research has shown that we start to see benefits when we regularly exercise. Health Canada recommends:
There are many benefits of exercise. It may help to:
