Sunbathing in Spring to Supplement Calcium, Strengthen Spleen and Stomach
Core Tip: With the bright spring sunshine, seize the fine weather to go out for a spring outing and sunbathe. Spring sunbathing can strengthen the spleen and stomach, promote the body's absorption of calcium, and expel dampness from the body. With so many benefits, why not give it a try? But are there any precautions to take when sunbathing? In the bright spring, you can choose to go outdoors to stretch your muscles and soak up the sun to sweep away the gloom in your heart and the dampness in your body. How to sunbathe for the best health benefits? When is the best time to sunbathe without worrying about getting tanned?
3 Major Health Benefits of Sunbathing
1. Sunbathe Your Legs to Prevent Cramps
"Chronic cold legs" should be exposed to the sun more often. Sunbathing the legs can effectively expel coldness from the legs, relieve calf cramps, and accelerate the absorption of calcium in the legs, making the leg bones stronger and preventing osteoporosis.
Especially for people with rheumatoid arthritis, spring sunbathing can activate blood circulation, alleviate the condition, and serve as a supplementary treatment.
In addition, there are many acupoints on the legs. The stimulation from sunlight can make the legs and feet feel light and eliminate fatigue.
2. Sunbathe the Top of Your Head to Supplement Calcium and Promote Hair Growth
Having the sun shine on the top of your head can fully promote calcium absorption.
Many people like to wear hats when sunbathing. In fact, the spring sun is not that strong. Wearing thick clothes and a sun hat completely defeats the purpose of sunbathing.
This is especially true for children. Parents are afraid the sun will harm their delicate skin, so they always make them wear hats.
In fact, as long as the time is controlled, letting the sun shine on a child's head helps with brain development and the growth of the skull, and is also beneficial for hair growth.
3. Sunbathe Your Back to Harmonize the Spleen and Stomach
"The front is yin, the back is yang. Sunbathing the back can supplement yang energy." Weak yang energy can make hands and feet cold and is often accompanied by spleen and stomach discomfort, such as a fear of a cold abdomen or diarrhea after eating cold things.
Spring sunbathing on the back can expel coldness from the spleen and stomach and help improve digestive function. Furthermore, a physician from the Qing Dynasty once pointed out, "The back is yang, governed by the heart and lungs." Sunbathing the back can also dredge the meridians on the back and is greatly beneficial to the heart and lungs.
It seems that effective sunbathing requires so many methods. To experience the benefits of sunbathing, you must use the right methods. Here are 4 methods to sunbathe without getting sick.
5 Precautions for Spring Sunbathing
1. Best to sunbathe between 10 AM & 4 PM
At this time, the infrared rays in sunlight are strong, while the ultraviolet rays are relatively weak. This can promote metabolism without harming the skin. From 4-5 PM, the X-ray component in UV rays is higher, which can promote the absorption of calcium and phosphorus, enhance physical fitness, and promote normal bone calcification. Note that each sunbathing session should not exceed 1 hour.
2. Don't Sunbathe Through Glass
Research shows that less than 50% of UV rays pass through glass. If you are 4 meters from a window, less than 2% of the UV rays from outside will get through. Therefore, sunbathing through glass is essentially ineffective. You should choose a park with good greenery and fresh air to sunbathe, or you can also do it on a balcony.
3. It's Best to Wear Red Clothes
Don't wear white clothes, especially in summer when UV radiation is strong. White clothes reflect UV rays onto your face or exposed arms, damaging the skin. It's best to wear red clothes because the long-wave radiation from red fabric can quickly "absorb" the highly damaging short-wave UV rays.
Don't wear a hat, as it will block the sunlight and defeat the purpose of sunbathing. If the glare is too strong, you can wear sunglasses.
4. Children's Sunbathing Time Should Not Be Too Long
Limit each session to half an hour. You can give your child some cod liver oil before sunbathing. For babies under 3 years old, if they are in a stroller too close to the ground, there will be more reflected sunlight. In this case, you should hold the baby to sunbathe. If the skin turns red, there is excessive sweating, or the pulse quickens, you should go home immediately and give the child a cool drink or light saltwater.
Avoid eating mustard, purslane, Malan head, or figs before sunbathing to prevent photosensitive drug eruptions or dermatitis. After sunbathing, drink more water and eat more fruits and vegetables to supplement vitamin C, which can inhibit melanin production.
5. Sunbathe for 10 Hours Per Week to Prevent Myopia
The intensity of outdoor light is more than 10 times that of indoor light. Multiple studies in countries like the United States and Singapore have found that the longer children spend outdoors, the less likely they are to be nearsighted; the two are highly correlated.
One study showed that light must reach a certain intensity and duration to have a preventive effect on myopia.
The survey found that children need 10-14 hours of outdoor activity per week to have a preventive effect, while children who only have 3-6 hours of outdoor activity per week show no effect.