Soak up the Sun

The sun can feel invigorating and refreshing, but did you know it can boost your workout too? Today's lifestyles lead you away from the sun. They have you exercising inside the gym or working all day behind a desk. Dermatologists would have you believe that the sun is harmful - but now I'm going to tell you why you need to catch the light and soak up the sun.

Get the ultraviolet edge by exercising outside. Sunshine can increase your athletic performance by as much as 10% according to the journal Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. The sun boosts your vitamin D levels, and a study review determined that D improves reaction time, speed and muscle strength.

Three out of four people have too-low levels of vitamin D according to John Cannell, M.D. There's no reason to have low levels of vitamin D, IT'S FREE. Just step outside. More importantly, Harvard School of Public Health found that men with low levels of vitamin D were twice as likely to have heart attacks as those who received higher levels of the sunshine vitamin. Check out 8 other ways to stay healthy without spending money here.

Not only is the sun good for you, but you may not be getting as good of a workout as you think inside the gym. A new study reveals that runners think they're going faster on a treadmill than they really are. Runners overestimate their speed by nearly 40 percent, according to the journal Sports Biomechanics. Researcher Pui Kong, Ph.D., suggests measuring your outdoor pace (energized in the sun) with a watch so you can match it when you're jogging on a treadmill.

There's only two ways to get your vitamin D level checked. Go for a blood test or wait until a bone breaks. I recommend the first but suit yourself. A bronze tan never hurt anyone anyway.

And on that note - lets take a look at the flip side.

While skin cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in the U.S., more than 90 percent of cases are either basal-cell carcinoma or squamous-cell carcinoma. Both are relatively harmless if detected early. The same can't be said about heart disease, colon cancer and prostate cancer. With low vitamin D levels you increase your risk of getting each of these. Check out more information on this scientific dilemma here.

Have fun in the sun.