Another Fitness Update

Thus far I have managed to lose 10 full pounds since starting my weight reduction program on April 19. I was rather amazed at the noticeable difference between this photograph and the one I posted from April 19 with the article Coexistence of Health and Body Image Issues.

Thus far the 500 calories per day deficit and the moderate exercise regimen I have been following have yield a 2 to 3 pound weight loss each week since I started. This is the first time in my life that I have really made any real effort to lose weight and frankly I have found it to be easier than I imagined it would be. Again, I haven't done anything drastic at all other than eliminate a few things or cut back back on others that previously I just did not realize contained so many calories. I am a third of the way towards my initial goal of losing 30 pounds. Also, my current weight of 196 pounds dropped my Body Mass Index (BMI) below 30 and so I have already gone from obese to merely overweight.

I promise not to be one of those fanatical fitness types, but I can't resist encouraging anyone that might feel they are carrying some extra pounds to consider making a few dietary changes and committing to a regular exercise program. Simply walking a half hour, five days a week produces some pretty surprisingly effective results. Appearance is not the real motivator for me although candidly I am more than a little pleased that my ample belly and "man boobs" have shrunk during the initial weeks. A long family history of heart disease, stroke, hypertension and diabetes and avoiding contracting any of those health problems is what really motivated me to drop some weight. Already I have a great deal more energy and find it much less of an effort to accomplish my daily tasks.

Incorporating Health and Fitness into the Nudist Lifestyle

Earlier this month I posted the article, The Culural Shift in Nudism, which discussed how the emphasim in nudism has shifted away from exercise and fitness since AANR embraced body acceptance in 2001. I also discussed a little about an article that appeared in N Magazine where the author encouraged nudists to start giving more attention to health and fitness and actually the article has motivated me to do just that. I think body acceptance is an improtant principle of nudism and that we should be accepting of our own bodies and the bodies of others in spite of differences in sizes and shapes. But as the author of that article emphasized, we shouldn't use body acceptance as an excuse for ignoring the consequences of poor dietary habits and lack of exercise.

Personally I have allowed myself to gain a good bit of extra weight, especially around the mid-section over the past couple of years. When I weighed on my own bathroom scales about a week ago, I discovered that my 5 foot, 8 inch frame sported 206 pounds. Plugging those figures into the handy Body Mass Index (BMI) calculator available at the Center for Disease Control website revealed that my BMI stands at about 31.3. Persons with a BMI over 30.0 are considered by the CDC as obese.

Since I am not an exhibitionist and was not attracted to nudism as a way to have others see me naked, my reasons for wanting to lose weight and get more fit have nothing to do with wanting to appear more attractive to other nudists. I am motivated by the health considerations since it has been well documented that being overweight does increase a person's risk of developing some very serious health conditions. But on the other hand, if becoming more physically attractive aids in presenting nudists in a better light and makes the lifestyle more attractive to others, then I don't have a problem with that really. So I have taken the challenge to lose about 30 pounds and to become more physically active once again.

I have actually started a diet and fitness regimen and while I haven't weighed yet to see if I have dropped any weight, I already feel better and have more energy. My reason for sharing all this here is that I hope making this public will serve me well by increasing my motivation to succeed and in that vein, I will be providing updates from time to time on my progress.

The Cultural Shift in Nudism

One of the early pioneers of the American Nudist Movement, Maurice Parmelee, in his 1927 book, “Nudism in Modern Life,” advocated nudism as a means of producing a “much more beautiful mankind.” Parmelee wrote that nudists “have every incentive to avoid deformations of the body, and to strive by means of a healthy and natural life for a well developed form, because deformities and malformations are all too apparent in a state of nudity.” What Parmelee was speaking of was nudist culture as a form of social peer pressure to motivate people to strive towards the attainment of the fittest and most attractive body possible to look good when naked in the company of other nudists.

At first blush Parmelee’s concept certainly seems foreign and counter to the principle of body image acceptance embraced by modern nudists. Yet as noted in Ellen E. Woodall’s Journal of Popular Culture article, the American Nudist Movement: From Cooperative to Capital, the Song Remains the Same,” the American Association for Nude Recreation’s body image acceptance pronouncement published in 2001, represented a major shift in social nudist culture. The pronouncement read, “Nudists respect each other’s individuality. Our own self esteem is enhanced by our ability to accept ourselves as we really are. We find it easy to accept others regardless of physical size, shape, or body condition.” In other words AANR became an advocate for the acceptance of any body, regardless of health, weight, fitness or attractiveness.

Today body image acceptance and the associated benefits of improved self esteem and freedom from pressure to live up to the stereotypical, unrealistic “perfect” body types promoted by media, is one of the most highly touted advantages of becoming a part of nudism. It provides a rather welcome respite for those like me who are not physically active enough and that carry a little too much weight around the mid-section.

In the Summer 2009 issue of N, the Naturist Society publication, I read an article by David Chizm, “How to Look (and Feel) Good Naked.” To be honest, I felt a little irritated reading Chizm’s exhortation that nudists need to do a better job at achieving fitness to look better while nude because clubs full of aging, overweight and out of shape nudists likely contributed much to the difficulty of attracting younger members! My knee jerk reaction was that the whole idea flew in the face of the long standing nudist principle of body acceptance. I have since re-read the article a number of times, which is quite good I might add, and now find my opinion has changed.

Body image acceptance is a valuable and positive principle in nudism. I do not believe that anyone should be made to feel rejected or that their worth as a person is based on physical appearance. Indeed due to disabilities, diseases, disfiguring surgeries or other health reasons, many people have little power to change the appearance of their bodies regardless of how much time they might spend exercising or giving attention to healthful eating. Yet in time I did find myself in agreement with Chizum’s observation that body acceptance should not be used by people like me as an excuse for eating poorly and not exercising. He was not suggesting that anyone needed to live up to some perfect ideal but that we should merely strive to live healthier and should make the attempt to live up to our own individual physical potential. That idea is one that is pretty difficult to disagree with.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Nudism

No nudism informational site would be complete without a frequently asked question section. For those who aren’t familiar with nudism but who might have an interest in learning about it, it is understandable that there are many questions. I developed this list of frequently asked questions from perusing lots of other naturist sites and so I don’t claim credit for them being original. Still they are I think representative of the questions that many might have.

Why be nude?

Nudity is often more comfortable and practical than clothing. There are times when clothing is physically uncomfortable. Nudity, on the other hand, is often more comfortable and for many activities nudity is often far more practical than clothing. The practice of nudism is, for nudists, an immensely freeing experience. In freeing oneself to be nude in the presence of others, including members of the other sex, the nudist also gives up all the social baggage that goes along with the nudity taboo. Being nude just feels good and the sense of freedom that comes from the nudist experience is consistently rated as one of the main reasons that people feel attracted to nudism. Nudists are not against clothing. Rather, we believe that you should dress only when necessary and appropriate.

Isn't nudity offensive?

Nudists are obviously not offended by nudity but there is no question that some people do find nudity offensive for a variety different reasons: moral, cultural, religious or a combination of one of more of those reasons. However, that people should be offended is debatable. Most often the basis for taking offense is the linkage between nudity and sex which permeates our society but is simply false. Nudity is not, by itself erotic and nudity in mixed groups is not inherently sexual. Sexuality is a matter of intent rather than state of dress. Nudity promotes social equality, feelings of unity with others, and more relaxed social interaction in general. Clothing locks us into a collective unreality that prescribes complex responses to social status, roles and expected behaviors. As the artificial barrier of clothing is done away with, social class and status disappear. People can then begin to relate to each other as they are, and not as they seem to be. In a free society, people should be free to do what they want as long as they are not infringing on the rights of others or causing others harm. It is difficult to understand how looking at the human body may harm anyone. Nonetheless, one intent of nudism is not to offend which is why nudists seek out areas where they may enjoy being nude without offending or bothering anyone.

Isn't nudity sexual?

Most of the people who visit a nudist gathering for the first time are surprised by the lack of sexuality. Some expect a sexually charged atmosphere, since in America a strong connection is assumed between nudity and sex due to the proliferation of “sex sells” advertising and pornography. However, the link between nudity and sexuality is arbitrary and capricious. Why should we choose to hide some parts of the body and not others? Our lips, for example, are probably as involved in sexuality as our genital areas yet people walk around exposing their lips without fear of causing sexual arousal. Also, our “sexual” parts are actually used for other things much more frequently than they are used for sex. The fact is you would likely find that suggestively clothed people are more sexually arousing than completely nude people. It can be easily be more sexual to wear clothing which subtly hides and emphasizes certain parts of the body. That nudity implies sexuality is the biggest misconception that nudists have to fight. This is not to say that nudists are against sexuality or that they make judgments about how others choose to express it. We just believe, like most of society, that there is an appropriate time and place for it and believe it should be expressed in privacy.

Aren't all nudists exhibitionists/voyeurs?

Exhibitionists expose themselves primarily to shock others or for the purpose of their own sexual arousal. Exhibitionism is not a part of nudism. Exhibitionists find no thrill in nudist environments because of the lack of overt sexuality and their inability to shock anyone. Nudists just want to be nude and they like to be with others because as humans we are social creatures. The same is true with regards to the issue of voyeurism. Since nudity in the norm at a nudist gathering, most nudists would tell you that they actually aren’t even consciously aware of nudity, there own or that of others. True nudists emphasize a decent, family atmosphere and morality.

Isn’t being nude illegal?

When and where a person may be lawfully nude of course varies greatly by jurisdiction. In most western jurisdictions (including the U. S.) it is legal to be nude on private property so long as you can't be seen by others outside the property. Consequently, it is legal to be nude within the confines of your own home and even in your own backyard as long as you are not in view of anyone outside your property. Also, nudity is legal for the same reason at all nudist resorts, landed clubs and at public, clothing-optional beaches where nudity is permitted by the authorities.

Mere nudity is not in itself lewd or “indecent exposure”, a distinction upheld by extensive legal precedent nationwide. Still due to the fact that most jurisdictions do not have laws on the books specifically addressing mere nudity, nudity is managed under the laws that do exist, such as laws prohibiting “indecent exposure” or “lewd conduct.” This is truly unfortunate in that it can result in a law-abiding person having an innocent act such as nude sunbathing in their own backyard criminalized in instances where a neighbor peeks through a knot hole or crack in a privacy fence, becomes “offended” and makes a complaint to law enforcement.

Clearly, it isn’t lawful to appear nude in any place at any time as has been mentioned, some people are honestly shocked and offended by nudity.

Doesn't nudity violate religious beliefs?

Many nudists are devoutly religious people and find no contradiction between their beliefs and nudity and some Christian naturists report feeling closer to God when they are nude in nature. Directives against nudity are generally not part of the basic philosophy of any religion. Rather, they have been added to the doctrine of the religion out of fear that nudity will lead to indiscriminate sexual activity which is prohibited by the doctrines of many religions. True nudists know that such fears are groundless because the practice of nudism is not sexual and is neither shameful nor obscene.

Are there rules of conduct or etiquette observed at nudist gatherings?

Yes, nudists do observe a few rules of etiquette which are simply the same common-sense guidelines for behavior that apply in the clothed world. Be polite and respect the rights of others. When visiting a resort or club, make sure you understand the rules specific to that organization. Here are a few general rules to observe when attending a nudist gathering…

• Gawking is impolite. It is okay to look and you may at first from mere curiosity but it is always considered rude to stare. Making eye contact with a person you are speaking with is expected.
• For sanitary reasons always sit on a towel when using any furniture, public seats or benches.
• Respect the environment. Help keep the area clean. In clubs, use the trash cans and cigarette butt receptacles if you smoke. Always leave an area cleaner than when you arrived.
• Do not engage in any overt sexual activity.
• Respect the privacy of others. Never photograph anyone without getting their permission first. Resorts and clubs often have specific rules about when and where cameras may be taken and used.

What if I get an erection?

This is the most common concern among men new to nudism. However, it is most unlikely that anyone would have an erection on a first visit to a nudist gathering. The combination of the non-sexual environment and the unfamiliarity of a first-time visit serve to minimize the issue. That being said, an erection is a natural part of life. Nudists realize this and will not take offence as long as it is not being flaunted. If an erection does occur, covering up with a towel, taking a dip in a cool pool, or rolling over on your stomach until it subsides will take care of the situation.

What if I don't have a good body?

The concept of the perfect body is a myth and nudists believe that the stress caused by the unrealistic expectations of society is very damaging. Nudists practice body acceptance and are accepting of all regardless of body shape, size, age, color, etc. If you visit a nudist environment, you will find all types of bodies. What you will likely discover is that you look pretty much like everyone else without clothing.

Is naturism appropriate for families?

True nudists believe nudism is appropriate for all regardless of age. Resorts and clubs who are members of organizations like the American Association for Nude Recreation (AANR) agree to keep their facilities wholesome and family oriented. Nudists believe that it is healthier for children to grow up comfortable with their own bodies and don't see any advantage in teaching them to be ashamed and embarrassed by certain parts of their bodies. Children are not born with any shame about nudity and it is only in later years that people are pressured into feeling self-conscious and as a result adopt other people's phobias about the body. Although good parenting is by far the most important factor in raising children, naturism helps to promote their confidence and understanding about their bodies.