For a few weeks in January, I was able to sit in my utility room, prop the door open, and soak up a few rays. (Remember, I'm in Canada. That winter sun is pretty weak.
) I felt great. Then, it got unbearably cold and miserable, and stayed that way.
As soon as the weather warms up above freezing again, and if we actually get some sun
, I'll soak up some rays again. In terms of my winter depression, the benefits greatly outweigh the minimal risk.
In summer, I don't deliberately tan, just go about my daily business and try to stay in the shade most of the time. I walk everywhere 'cause I have no car. By the end of the summer, I usually get barely-visible marks from my watch and my sandals. Just barely.
lpioch - I felt the way you did until I read the chapter on sun exposure in Protein Power Lifeplan. It's rather long, but I'll sum it up with this question: how can it be that we evolved as outdoor creatures, and yet it's only in the last few generations that we have a serious skin cancer problem? Just as I don't believe it when "they" tell us that we're fat because there's too much fat in our diet - never mind the fact that there's been loads of fat in our diet for *millenia* - I don't believe "them" when they tell me that I'll get skin cancer if I don't slather chemicals all over my skin. I only wear sunscreen if I know I won't be able to get out of the sun. Other than that, I don't worry about it.