If you’re not dedicating time to proper sunbathing with a large portion of your skin exposed, you’re not giving yourself the chance to produce meaningful amounts of vitamin D3 from UV-B exposure

For some reason, many people assume that simply going to a baseball game without sunglasses or a hat, while keeping most of their skin covered with clothes, will somehow generate sufficient vitamin D3

Absolutely not

You need actual skin in the game at the correct times and in circadian alignment

Sunlight must strike bare skin directly, and ideally in a consistent, intentional way. It’s not something you stumble into by accident. It requires a dedicated practice

Watching sunrise?

Great, you’re still not making D3

Making it dark at night?

Great, still not making D3

UV-A rise?

Fantastic, still not making D3

You must be sunbathing with BARE SKIN when UV-B is present to begin the conversion process in your body

Let me remind you of the conversion process involved here:

1. UV-B hits the skin and penetrates into the epidermis (outer most layer of the skin)

2. UV-B changes the shape of the starting molecule known as 7-DHC (7-dehydrocholesterol)

3. This UV-B induced change turns 7-DHC into Pre-Vitamin D3. With heat, pre-vitamin D3 naturally rearranges into Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol)

4. That’s where binding for transport occurs. Vitamin D3 cannot float freely in the blood, so it binds to a carrier called DBP (Vitamin D Binding Protein), forming DBP-VD3

5. Once bound, it moves through the bloodstream where it can later be activated in the liver and kidneys into the full active hormone form (calcitriol)

I have bad news if you use any form of SPF as well, so prepare yourself

SPF 15 blocks ~93% of UV-B

SPF 30 blocks ~97% of UV-B

SPF 50 blocks ~98 of UV-B

SPF 100 blocks ~99% of UV-B

So if you use any form of sunscreen, whether chemical or mineral based, you’re blocking the very light wavelength range needed to produce D3 (also one of your most potent anti-cancer hormones)

Negligible conversion is happening, even if you do a shitty job of applying your sunscreen considering the chronic circadian disruption that a modern lifestyle creates, further worsening D3 status

People who don’t have a strong circadian education are likely to make these simple mistakes

And I see it time and time again