3 Non-Conventional Sun Tips for Spring Break ☀️

What if you live in the northeast (or a cold winter climate) and you're heading to Florida (or someplace warm) for spring break? How to handle the intensity of the Florida sun if your body isn't used to it?

Here are my top 3 tips:

1. Avoid wearing sunglasses if possible.  Sunglasses can make you more prone to sunburn.  

   The light that comes into your eyes tells the master clock in your brain what time of day it is, where you are on the planet, how strong the sun is, etc.

   If you're on a bright beach in Florida wearing sunglasses, the dark lenses block UV light AND they tell your brain the light is darker than it actually is.  Your skin is getting strong sunlight, but your eyes aren't (because of the dark lenses).

   This creates a light mismatch that can lead to sunburn, because your skin cells may not get the message that they need to start ramping up their own natural sun protection. 

   
   WHAT TO DO INSTEAD:

   👉🏾 If the midday sun is too bright to go without sunglasses…  focus on going outside early or late in the day.  Wear a hat or visor - or put up an umbrella - if you need to! 

   👉🏾 I went cold turkey with sunglasses two summers ago… but some people need to ease into it over a year or so.  Be gentle with yourself and do the best you can.  It's not a race or anything…  but I do want you to be aware of how sunglasses can affect your skin.

Your skin is designed to alert you when it's had enough sun.  The initial stage of pinkening of your skin is actually the blood coming to the surface so your skin can absorb more sunlight and create more melanin.  

But when your skin moves past that to the pink stage, it's trying to tell you, “I've had enough sun now! I don't have enough melanin stores built up yet to be able to filter this kind of light!”  

If you apply sunscreen so you can stay in the sun longer, you're overriding your skin's message.  This doesn't change the fact that your skin isn't ready for that much sun.  Damage can still happen, but you won't see it. 

WHAT TO DO INSTEAD:

👉🏾 Once you see that your skin has had enough, cover up with clothing, go inside, take a nap, go shopping, go to a restaurant, move into the shade or under an umbrella, etc.

👉🏾 If you're not ready to transition away from sunscreen yet, please at least make sure you're using one that's good for your skin, hormones, immune system, etc.  

THIS is the sunscreen I keep at home in case the boys need some in very early summer when they're waterskiing.   It's a mineral sunscreen that's reef safe, made from non-nano zinc oxide and free from harmful chemicals. It's made without avobenzone, oxybenzone, retinyl palmitate, parabens, phthalates, petrochemicals, UV chemical absorbers, artificial colors, or synthetic fragrances… and it rubs in pretty easily (especially compared to some of the other brands like Badger, etc.)

Here's the thing: if you're coming from a cold winter climate and you headed to a tropical locale… you're not going to get tan in a week.  Your skin is simply NOT primed or ready to do this at this point in February/March!  I now cringe when I think about the times I went to Florida for spring break and laid out for hours by the pool at midday!

WHAT TO DO INSTEAD:

👉🏾 Get outside every day during the first 2 hours after sunrise. There's no UV light present in the first hour after sunrise, so you can't get burnt then.  The light in the first 2 hours of the morning will prime your skin for the stronger UVB rays that come between 10-3.

👉🏾 Just because you've gotten early morning sunlight doesn't mean you should bathe outside at the pool or beach for hours during the day middle of the day!  Be mindful of your midday light exposure.  You may only be able to spend 5-15 minutes in your midday sun sessions before your skin tells you it's had enough.  

👉🏾 Being outside the hour before sunset is very beneficial for your skin. There's no UV light present at this time either, so you can't get burned.  The red and infrared light at sunset can heal your skin and help mitigate sun damage.

We go over safe sun strategies in my Circadian Rhythm Reset course.  Now is the perfect time to start learning about how this work… before that spring sun gets stronger.  I want you to take advantage of ALL the medicine spring sun has to offer… but I want you to do it safely and strategically! 

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