Get Naked: The Healing Power of Nudity
Someone recently asked me “what's your biggest biohack that no-one else is using?” ...and without having to give it a second thought I replied: nudity. Now I’m not talking about the kind of perverse exhibitionist nudity, nor the kind of nudity that comes with daisy duke shorts or a low cut crop top (although, you do you); I’m talking about the non-sexual, natural kind of nudity that is an innate part of our human existence. The jovial, primordial nudity of a baby running along the beach in the sunshine. After answering nudity to this question, I started to mull over this concept of nudity as a powerful healing tool and realized that it has impacted me more profoundly than I even knew on a conscious level. I’ll break it down into different headings to elaborate.
I've linked resources at the bottom of this article for those of you that need "proof".
NAKED SUN TIME
I am a total sun worshipper. The healing power of the sun is bar none, and we’ve been completely lied to regarding the impact of sunshine on our human bodies. I could go on about this for an eternity, and in fact will dedicate an entire post to the magic of sunshine- but I’ll keep it short and sweet for now.
Exposing your bare skin (read: no sunscreen) to the sun is an incredible and free way to maximize your health. Not only does sunshine synthesize vitamin D in your body, but it also programs and will recalibrate your circadian rhythm (your internal body clock), supports hormonal health, nourishes and energizes your mitochondria, boosts your immune system, heals infections and skin diseases, and much more.
You don’t want to get a sunburn, because sun burns do damage our skin and DNA, but it's time to break free from the outdate and false belief that the sun is our enemy.
“The dominant belief today in our medical paradigm is that UV light causes melanoma and skin cancers. For ten years all the data I personally reviewed led me to the exact opposite point of view. Faced with a paradox you have two choices. Examine the data for yourself and make an informed decision based on this new data. Two, just keep believing what you were taught is correct without questioning it.”
— DR. JACK KRUSE, NEUROSURGEON AND EXPERT IN THE FIELD OF LIGHT, WATER, AND MAGNETISM.
Now you might be thinking, “ok Cam, we need sunshine, but why naked?” The benefits of exposing all your parts to the sun are profound. Exposing your breasts and genitalia to the sun (particularly AM and PM sun) in the spring and summer slows down aging, enhances hormonal health, boosts testosterone in men, and reduces the risk of breast cancer, yeast and other infections in women.
Sun Exposure 101: the best times to expose your body to the sunshine are twofold; firstly you want to try and get the morning sun on your face (and yes, even directly in your eyes) as soon as you wake up to inform your body-clock that it is morning. This habit will do wonders for your energy throughout the day, fill you with endorphins (boost your mood/ naturally reduce depression), and even improve your sleep quality. Aforementioned, AM and PM sun is also an optimal time to get #nakedsuntime in to improve your reproductive health and boost sex-hormones. The morning sun contains predominantly UV-A rays, and very little UV-B (the vitamin D giving rays), unlike midday sun that peaks in UV-B rays. Because of that, your second dose of sunshine should come at the heat of day when the sun is shining its strongest- and this is the ideal time to get in as much skin exposure to the sun to truly use your skin as the solar panels that it is. You need not spend hours in the sun, but getting at least 15 minutes (make sure to expose both sides), when the sun is blasting these UVB rays will dose you up with vitamin D and provide you with some serious medicine. Studies suggest that if you get this exposure to major parts of your skin for 15 minutes a day throughout the spring and summer, that your body can actually store the vitamin to last you throughout the fall and winter… so stock up!
Naked sun time while gardening, living on an organic farm off-the-grid, in Maui, Hawai'i.
SKINNY DIPPING
Have you done this recently? It’s incredible. The feeling of swimming in a lake or ocean completely naked is possibly the most liberating feeling of all time. You literally feel at one with the entire cosmos, it’s like being a baby in the womb all over again.
Nudie swims at Lake Kawagama, in the Muskoka region of Northern Ontario, Canada.
NAKED IN NATURE: FORREST BATHING AND EARTHING
Barefoot in the garden, living off the grid on an organic farm in Maui, Hawaii.
Much like swimming naked, there is something so transformative about being naked amidst nature. The benefits of forest bathing and earthing have been scientifically documented- but all you really need to know to prove this is to get amidst nature yourself. Forest bathing reduces cancer by boosting your natural killer cells and expression of anti-cancer proteins, boosts immune function, and reduces cortisol. Earthing or grounding (i.e. exposing your bare skin to the earth) absorbs negative ions from the Earth's magnetic charge, which reduces diabetes, osteoporosis, cortisol, inflammation, stress, cardiovascular strain, boosts the immune system, and slows down aging. I’ve linked to a fantastic video and as well as a 446 page book on the benefits of earthing at the bottom of this article.
Completely at one with the planet, skin on skin contact with our Mother.
NUDITY IN THE CHANGE ROOM
This one has been major for me. Whether it be your yoga studio, gym, or whatever change room you frequent- it’s a pretty universal habit to see people cover up and scurry around in fear that anyone might notice them naked. This used to be me. I would cover up with a towel, make sure no one was around when I was changing, or even use a bathroom stall. This behaviour is extremely detrimental to your relationship with yourself. Your body is a gift, and although it isn’t socially accepted to prance around the streets naked- having to change in a change room filled with only people of your same sex is the perfect opportunity to practice loving your body.
There is so much shame around nudity, and in a twisted way every time you cover yourself up- you’re teaching your subconscious that you’re not OK with the way you look. Bodies comes in all shapes, colours, and sizes, and although you might not currently have your “dream body”, let me tell you: finding love and acceptance for yourself in this very moment will do nothing but propel you towards your goals. Finding the confidence to love your body the way it is will give you the drive to train harder, the will to nourish your body properly, and to take care of yourself.
LONG GONE ARE THE DAYS I WILL EVER COVER UP IN FRONT OF OTHER WOMEN.
Next time your in the change room, observe your behaviours and observe the negative self-talk. What are you telling your body? And what are your actions reinforcing? Take the opportunity to relish the fact that you have been given this gift of a body, you should not be ashamed of it. The change room is a perfect opportunity to begin letting go, getting naked, feeling comfortable in your skin, and loving yourself.
SLEEPING NAKED
There are many benefits to sleeping in the nude, first of all- it lets your skin breath. Most of us are wearing tight fitting clothes all day long, and sleeping naked enables your body to breath. Going commando promotes sperm count in men and supports vaginal health in women. Sleeping naked can also reduce your cortisol levels, by reducing your body heat during the night. Staying cooler during the night will also boost your melatonin levels and growth hormone. Plus, if you’re sleeping with a significant other (…or a total random) skin on skin contact releases oxytocin.
Oh, and you feel freeAF.
THE BODY IS LIKE A BATTERY, AND THE SUN AND EARTH ARE YOUR CHARGE: POWER UP!
The benefits of nudity run so, so deep; as a means of connecting your natural body with nature, and of cultivating a deep self-love for the magnificent gift of your human body.
What role has nudity played in your life, how do you get naked?
TAKE A DEEPER DIVE INTO THE TOPICS DISCUSSED IN THIS ARTICLE
1. Time To Rethink Your Truth About the Sun? by Dr. Jack Kruse
3. The Most Important Nutrient Your Body Needs Daily And Almost Everyone Is Told To Avoid It!
5. Sunlight and Reduced Risk of Cancer: Is The Real Story Vitamin D
7. Forest Bathing Enhances Human Natural Killer Activity and Expression of Anti-Cancer Proteins
8. Effect of Forest Bathing Trips on Human Immune Function
9. Biophysics of Earthing (Grounding) the Human Body
10. Earthing: The Most Important Health Discovery Ever?
11. The Health Benefits of Sleeping Naked
12. Effects of Thermal Environment on Sleep and Circadian Rhythm
13. Choice of Underwear and Male Fecundity in a Preconception Cohort of Couples
