Although the Groundhog apparently saw his shadow yesterday and we are supposed to be in for 6 more weeks of harsh winter weather, I’m going to rejoice in the fact that we haven’t seen one full week of it yet this season and bank on it staying that way.
More often than not, I daydream I’m back in Monterey, CA where I can handle the daytime winter lows of 45, but today I’m grateful for an incredibly beautiful, sunny and “relatively” warm NY day. I cannot stop singing a combination of Lonely Forests’s “Turn Off This Song and Go Outside” and the Cults “Go Outside” and am looking forward to grabbing my kids from school and enjoying the sunny skies.
So, your primal challenge for today is to turn off this blog and GO OUTSIDE. Although latitudes above 35 degrees (basically anything above Los Angeles, CA or Columbia, SC) experience a Vitamin D winter when our UVB rays are apparently blocked by the atmosphere, I still say go outside and enjoy the sun! It just makes everyone feel a little better, not to mention that being outside generally means you will be doing some form of physical activity, and that is always better than being stuck behind a computer screen or on the couch!
On a dietary note, Vitamin D is not just a partner to Calcium and Vitamin A for your bone health. It is known to reduce your risk of infectious diseases, diabetes, cancer, and heart disease. It reduces inflammation and the risk for autoimmune disorders, and plays an important role in preserving your muscular strength. Since a good chunk of the US is in Vitamin D winter right now, think about upping your intake of Vitamin D rich foods like wild caught salmon, canned tuna, eggs, sardines, and shiitake mushrooms.
On that note, I leave you with the words of Lonely Forest…..turn off, turn off this blog, find someone you love, turn off this blog, you can listen to it later, and GO OUTSIDE!
Sources:
Vitamin D fact sheet
The Paleo Solution, “Let a Little Sunshine In”
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