This resonated deeply, I’ve never been athletic or outdoorsy but since my late 30s I’ve found healing in being outdoors alone and with my family. Really appreciate the detail in this post, I’ve added vitamin c to my morning routine as well as sun protection clothing and nice to know there’s more I can do.
Thank you for all these tips! I'm looking into HelioCare and am very intrigued! For UPF shirts, the best I've found are from FreeFly. They're so lightweight, soft, and comfy (and cute!)
id love a upf clothing round up. i usually get shirts off amazon (sorry) then wear the hideous columbia wide brim sun hats like im hiking through the australian outback. i wonder how much covering up affects vitamin d levels? they say to go out in midday sun for like 15 minutes but like i live in texas midday the uv index is 13 in the summer
The vitamin D question is a great one. For people with light skin, it probably doesn’t take much, esp if the UV index is raging! People with darker skin with ancestors who are from closer to the equator need much more sun for optimal vitamin D production. SPF/UPF isn’t blocking all of the sun’s rays, so the little that’s getting through is going to help too. But from what I understand, even with sun exposure, many of us are deficient and probably need supplementation anyway (womp womp).
I love my UPF long sleeve shirts 🤩 I have three now! And agree on the hat situation. With an 18 month old who is CRAZY, I cannot have anything limiting my sight
I’ve been so curious about sun supplements and if they really help protect or not, tysm for this! Agree about sun hats - I hate wearing mine tbh, but I’d hate getting burned more. Whenever I see another woman wearing an enormous hat I feel less alone :)
You’re welcome, thank you for reading!! I admire your commitment to the hat, and you rock it! My neck has had too many close calls in the past few years, I need to just get over it and wear one 😂
Join me in ruining all of your outfits with an enormous hat haha. But I've seen almost 10 women this week wearing their enormous sun hats, so these might be gaining traction? I just got the Coolibar black UPF bandana that can double as face protection and it's more palatable than I thought (all ringing endorsements, I know).
Ok wait…judging from these photos you are not afraid of heights are you!? It is so true that being in nature is so good for everyone’s mental health. As my kids have gotten older and less likely to spend time with me I have to force myself to go on walks with my husband bc I’d always rather stay home after work, and I’m always thankful for the fresh air. I love those long sleeve tops. One question I always have is : do we get enough sun/vitamin d with all of these protective measures in place? Or is that something we should be really getting through food or supplements?
Not really afraid of heights, but my husband has forced me into some hikes with narrow passes and things like CHAINS for holding onto that I would definitely not do if not forced 😂
The vitamin D question is such a good one. From what I understand, we don’t really know what optimal exposure is for vitamin D, but for people of Northern European descent, it’s not much, which makes sense. If your ancestors are from the UK, you’re probably evolved not to need a ton of sunlight for optimal biological processes. Plus, SPF/UPF doesn’t block all of the UV, so if you’re out for a long period, you’re probably getting enough despite the protection.
However, for people with darker skin/ancestors closer to the equator, more sunlight is needed for vitamin D production than in people with lighter skin, so broad sun protective measures may not be as beneficial for those populations, as they are more likely to be vitamin D deficient.
From what I understand about diet (and I’m not an expert!), it’s really hard to get enough due to poor soil quality/overfishing, etc, so supplementation is probably necessary for most of us anyway.
Fascinating! I am a pale skinned Italian American whose vitamin d levels are always criticized by her Dr. this is super interesting and I appreciate your expertise on the subject. I can’t believe you’ve gone on hikes that required chains! I want to see pics of this.
I just got a few UPF shirts for hiking this summer! A Carhartt longsleeve and a short sleeve option (because at least my arms are not so bad to reapply mid hike) and a long sleeve from Cotopaxi! All are so cute and breathable! Would recommend
I agree, I can tolerate reapplying on my forearms too! 😂. Will def have to check out those hiking options, I’m in need of some new ones. We’re doing our summer vacay in the Dakotas in August, so will be much needed!
Like always, I learn so much with you. I’ve been wearing vitamin c to help with discoloration but you gave me another reason too wear it! Thank you for all your explanations and products you share!
I just loaded up on my Supergoop sunscreens. I am also a mineral sunscreen convert, so over the white stains everywhere. Laughing at the lengths we now go to prevent sun exposure. If our teen selves could see us now.
Supergoop! used to make a powder just for the part that I LOVED, but they don’t make it anymore, grr, so I’m back to my old powder brush hack. Thank you for always reading and supporting!
So many new ideas ... I'm super curious about the pills. Every year I try so hard to not to get any more sun spots and fail miserably even with sunscreen and hats and avoiding midday sun and vitamin c. So I'm glad there's at least something else new to try. Also so many good upf options now ! For the longest time, it's been the dorkiest realm of fashion. Anyway , I have this hat from last year that I really love (not sure on the colors this years but it's extremely light weight/ pack able / breathable and my 10 yo steals it constantly.) and it looks pretty good. It also just feels like you have nothing on and won't fly off while you chase rogue toddlers. Mines a deep khaki and I'll even wear it in the city. https://arcteryx.com/us/en/shop/sinsolo-bucket-hat-0338
This resonated deeply, I’ve never been athletic or outdoorsy but since my late 30s I’ve found healing in being outdoors alone and with my family. Really appreciate the detail in this post, I’ve added vitamin c to my morning routine as well as sun protection clothing and nice to know there’s more I can do.
I’m glad to know there are more late(ish!) in life outdoors people out there. Thank you so much for reading, and I’m glad you found this helpful!!
Thank you for all these tips! I'm looking into HelioCare and am very intrigued! For UPF shirts, the best I've found are from FreeFly. They're so lightweight, soft, and comfy (and cute!)
Thanks for reading!! I’ll have to check out the FreeFly shirts—I knew someone who swore by them, adding to my list!
id love a upf clothing round up. i usually get shirts off amazon (sorry) then wear the hideous columbia wide brim sun hats like im hiking through the australian outback. i wonder how much covering up affects vitamin d levels? they say to go out in midday sun for like 15 minutes but like i live in texas midday the uv index is 13 in the summer
The vitamin D question is a great one. For people with light skin, it probably doesn’t take much, esp if the UV index is raging! People with darker skin with ancestors who are from closer to the equator need much more sun for optimal vitamin D production. SPF/UPF isn’t blocking all of the sun’s rays, so the little that’s getting through is going to help too. But from what I understand, even with sun exposure, many of us are deficient and probably need supplementation anyway (womp womp).
I love my UPF long sleeve shirts 🤩 I have three now! And agree on the hat situation. With an 18 month old who is CRAZY, I cannot have anything limiting my sight
Yes, long sleeves FTW! And I’m so glad you can relate to the hat thing, I was always like, how do people do this, I can’t see! 😂
I’ve been so curious about sun supplements and if they really help protect or not, tysm for this! Agree about sun hats - I hate wearing mine tbh, but I’d hate getting burned more. Whenever I see another woman wearing an enormous hat I feel less alone :)
You’re welcome, thank you for reading!! I admire your commitment to the hat, and you rock it! My neck has had too many close calls in the past few years, I need to just get over it and wear one 😂
Join me in ruining all of your outfits with an enormous hat haha. But I've seen almost 10 women this week wearing their enormous sun hats, so these might be gaining traction? I just got the Coolibar black UPF bandana that can double as face protection and it's more palatable than I thought (all ringing endorsements, I know).
Ok wait…judging from these photos you are not afraid of heights are you!? It is so true that being in nature is so good for everyone’s mental health. As my kids have gotten older and less likely to spend time with me I have to force myself to go on walks with my husband bc I’d always rather stay home after work, and I’m always thankful for the fresh air. I love those long sleeve tops. One question I always have is : do we get enough sun/vitamin d with all of these protective measures in place? Or is that something we should be really getting through food or supplements?
Not really afraid of heights, but my husband has forced me into some hikes with narrow passes and things like CHAINS for holding onto that I would definitely not do if not forced 😂
The vitamin D question is such a good one. From what I understand, we don’t really know what optimal exposure is for vitamin D, but for people of Northern European descent, it’s not much, which makes sense. If your ancestors are from the UK, you’re probably evolved not to need a ton of sunlight for optimal biological processes. Plus, SPF/UPF doesn’t block all of the UV, so if you’re out for a long period, you’re probably getting enough despite the protection.
However, for people with darker skin/ancestors closer to the equator, more sunlight is needed for vitamin D production than in people with lighter skin, so broad sun protective measures may not be as beneficial for those populations, as they are more likely to be vitamin D deficient.
From what I understand about diet (and I’m not an expert!), it’s really hard to get enough due to poor soil quality/overfishing, etc, so supplementation is probably necessary for most of us anyway.
Fascinating! I am a pale skinned Italian American whose vitamin d levels are always criticized by her Dr. this is super interesting and I appreciate your expertise on the subject. I can’t believe you’ve gone on hikes that required chains! I want to see pics of this.
I just got a few UPF shirts for hiking this summer! A Carhartt longsleeve and a short sleeve option (because at least my arms are not so bad to reapply mid hike) and a long sleeve from Cotopaxi! All are so cute and breathable! Would recommend
I agree, I can tolerate reapplying on my forearms too! 😂. Will def have to check out those hiking options, I’m in need of some new ones. We’re doing our summer vacay in the Dakotas in August, so will be much needed!
Like always, I learn so much with you. I’ve been wearing vitamin c to help with discoloration but you gave me another reason too wear it! Thank you for all your explanations and products you share!
Thank you so much, and thank you for reading! 🩵
I just loaded up on my Supergoop sunscreens. I am also a mineral sunscreen convert, so over the white stains everywhere. Laughing at the lengths we now go to prevent sun exposure. If our teen selves could see us now.
Same—loaded up on my bougie kids’ sticks 😂. My whole life revolves around sun protection now, it’s a lotttttt
Fantastic as always. The one area I always mess up re: sunburn is…. My scalp! Love the Supergoop find. Also, I love a good supplement rec!
Supergoop! used to make a powder just for the part that I LOVED, but they don’t make it anymore, grr, so I’m back to my old powder brush hack. Thank you for always reading and supporting!
Let’s get a petition going, lol.
So many new ideas ... I'm super curious about the pills. Every year I try so hard to not to get any more sun spots and fail miserably even with sunscreen and hats and avoiding midday sun and vitamin c. So I'm glad there's at least something else new to try. Also so many good upf options now ! For the longest time, it's been the dorkiest realm of fashion. Anyway , I have this hat from last year that I really love (not sure on the colors this years but it's extremely light weight/ pack able / breathable and my 10 yo steals it constantly.) and it looks pretty good. It also just feels like you have nothing on and won't fly off while you chase rogue toddlers. Mines a deep khaki and I'll even wear it in the city. https://arcteryx.com/us/en/shop/sinsolo-bucket-hat-0338