Naked family

I don’t work out “cute.”

All of the blood in my body runs to my face. I sweat like a center for the Detroit Lions. My clothes get soaked. It’s not attractive. This picture is a full 10 minutes AFTER my last sprint interval AND a 5 minute ride home WITH ALL THE WINDOWS DOWN. I was not markedly cooler. By the way, this is where I totally endorse Coppertone’s Sport Breathable Sunscreen (SPF 50, ultra sweatproof) because it really DOESN’T run in your eyes. It’s not just marketing! This is especially important to me because 1) sweat and 2) I wear contact lenses. Sunscreen in your eyes with contact lenses is like a week in the 7th circle of hell.

Back to sweaty… how gross and sweaty I was made me think, “It would be so nice to just go home, take a shower, and hang around the house naked all day.” (With towels on the couches, of course.) But we’ve got a roommate/boarder so that’s not really an option much to – I’m sure – everyone’s relief.

And that started me thinking about general nonsexual nakedness and a conversation I had with my friend Sarah the other day. I always thought I was a freak from a totally weird family because I’ve seen everyone in my immediate family naked.  Bodies weren’t a big deal in my house and it was nothing to have Mom and/or Dad walking around in various stages of undress. I mean, not in front of COMPANY or anything but growing up there were the four of us (three women) and ONE BATHROOM. You have NO PRIVACY. Not to mention that my sister’s idea of cooling off after a hot day at work was to come home, take off her shirt and bra, and flop down on the couch. LEAVING HER JEANS AND COMBAT BOOTS ON.

We really didn’t just wander around the house naked all the time. We were clothed more often than we weren’t, but if someone wasn’t wearing a shirt or pants (or occasionally underwear) it was pretty normal to us. I didn’t realize that MOST families aren’t like that until I went to college. Imagine my shock.

So every once in a while someone makes a comment, or I see a movie like Home for the Holidays, where some nonchalant parental nakedness happens and the kids aren’t scandalized and I figure there must be OTHER Naked Families out there. Probably like the Spanking Families, they’re just not talking about it.

By the way, if my mother ever discovers the internet I’ll be grounded for the rest of my life.

And there you go. That’s a little snapshot of how my brain works.

These are my running shoes:

They’re called Five Fingers from Vibram and have a hard formed sole to protect the bottoms of your feet. Though I’ll tell you brother that if you’re running on hot pavement, those suckers heat up in a few miles.

They are surprisingly comfortable and provide the best calf/foot/ankle workout I have EVER HAD. They’re super light and force me to run up on the ball of my foot, hence all the work. I tend to be a heel-toe girl (not quite sure how I ever managed to be a sprinter in high school with that running style) and heavy footed. These shoes FORCE me to lighten up.

They’re also great shoes for outdoor yoga or yoga on the road. All you need are some weight lifting gloves (or fancier ‘yoga’ gloves) and you’re all set – no mat required.

P.S. You can compare the ALARMING PALENESS of my legs to my EXTREMELY RED face above in order to compare the ridiculous blood flow. At least I know my arteries and capillaries work, right?

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If golf came with a beer guarantee, I’d probably play more often.

I had a couple of beers with a friend before we played and MAN, I enjoyed myself. It helped that I double bogeyed the first hole – after that, I didn’t much care if my game went to crap (which it mostly did). We also had great golf partners which made the round seem quick.

Spouse and I apparently sprained the dog. I guess he took her for a multi-mile outing where he did 3 minute sprint splits. I didn’t realize that and, the next morning, took her for a couple mile jog. Well, I *tried* to jog. Piper developed a pace I never knew existed: faster than a walk but slower than a jog. What IS that? I think it was part of her super stealthy plan though because it was freakin’ EXHAUSTING. So we were not much with the jogging, more like shuffle-shuffle-drag.

In related news, I dusted off my Vibram Five Fingers (see link to right) because it’s been a while since I’d gone running. I ended up with blisters on the back of my heels, which meant I golfed barefoot today. Sadly, lack of shoes makes no difference to my golf game. The Vibrams mean that my calves and ankles got WORKED so any time I rest for more than 20 minutes, I’ve got to stretch my legs before I walk gingerly from point A to point B.

I squeezed in a mini-yoga break before our golf round and my plan tomorrow is for a jog then yoga session.

Right now, though, we’re watching Burn Notice. Season premiere!

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