5 reasons why you should run (and hike) naked

A few days ago, I went for a morning run with my significant other. She asked me to wear shorts as she does not feel totally comfortable when I am running naked with her. She still fears encounter. I enjoy running with her, so I obliged, wearing my smallest shorts. If I loved the company, I did not feel entirely free though. The next morning, I woke up a little bit earlier, and, as my wife was still asleep, I went for a complete naked run wearing just a pair of running shoes and my wrist computer. It felt great. Being naked adds another dimension that is difficult to describe to textilists.

You may claim that there should not be much of a difference between small shorts and no shorts at all. The fact is the difference exists for naturists. If it were not, there would not be naturism. Now, you may be a naturist but have not yet tried to run or hike naked, outside of any naturist setting. I urge you to do it. The beauty is that, from a gear perspective, you don’t need much. You will need to manage encounters with textilists, however, in most nature settings, this can be done elegantly without further challenge, as you will see. So here’s 5 reasons why you should run (and hike) naked every time you have an opportunity to do it.

Disclaimer – Being naked in nature is not always legal. Please refrain from doing it when it’s clearly illegal. Take advice from local naturist group.

Gymnastics means “train naked”

Ancient Greeks were working out and practiced sports entirely naked. At those times, there was no “special fabrics” and clothes were not meant to be really practical. The best way was just to be naked! It was common sense.

Nudity in ancient Greece and Rome was normal and natural. Look at all the statues and paintings, and you will realize that it was completely normal to represent the human body naked. There was nothing to be ashamed of. The moment you abandon your special sports clothes, you discover your body sweats, you do not feel the inconvenience of wet clothes, and being naked seems so natural! Which it is!

Sports, particularly running, swimming or hiking does nor require any form of clothes beyond mere “modesty” and fashion. Furthermore, when you are running or training naked, you see your muscles and have a better understanding of the functioning of your body.

It’s comfortable to run naked

Number one reason for being naked is being comfortable. I find nudity the most comfortable outfit. Running, and most of the time hiking, involves sweating. When the skin is bare, sweat is not trapped by fabrics. It drops and evaporates naturally.

Look at any marketing material for sports clothes. It will involve “breathing fabric”, “allows your skin to breathe”, or something along those lines. The best way to allow your skin to breathe and to naturally regulate its temperature is to get naked. You won’t have to support wet clothing and, icing on the cake, you will not get those nasty tan lines.

Our own body and skin were “engineered” to be self-sufficient. With the exception of protection against elements (cold, dangerous tasks, fire…), it does not require any form of clothing. When you start enjoying nudity, you just want it more and it naturally extends to sports.

It extends the practice of social nudity

Do you have a running pal? Great! Tell him or her that you may run naked from now on. He or she may be surprised. Probably not if he or she knows you are a naturist. In all cases, just do it and extend the invitation to run alike.

You can even think of creating a naked running club or association. It will provide a great framework to recruit members and to get more legitimate. When you are running naked alone, you can still be seen as a weirdo. When you are running or hiking as a group, you are a set of people with the same mindset. This provides greater strength and help disassociating nudity from sexuality.

The club can also be used to promote naturism as we are not going to see.

Naked running is a great promotion tool

Running has become an industry. There are now thousands of races, from 5K to marathons, from ultra-trails to family runs. Joining running and naturism allows promoting naturism to the running community. Organizing naked runs is a great way for naturist clubs and resorts to have textilists discover naturism, and for naturists to get healthier by training and running.

Running clubs can help naturist clubs to promote naturism by organizing naked runs. A naturist running club can also be part of running events and provide a safe environment for naturist runners. In both ways, it’s a way to promote naturism inside and outside of naturist venues.

Less clothes means less environmental and health impact

No running clothes, no washing, less impact! The equation is simple. I’m not even counting the time it gets to buy those clothes and to take care of them. In the case of running naked, you will just use a pair of shoes and potentially socks, and a cap. Nothing more! This means reducing to the maximum your clothing options.

There are potential health hazards associated with clothing as well. Some “special fabrics” and “synthetic fibers” contain chemicals that may be bad for your health. Another very good reason to ditch clothes when you have the opportunity.

Voilà. You will probably have other reasons to run and hike naked. Each nudist is different and has his or her own reasons to be a nudist. Running and hiking naked are awesome healthy practice of sports. Nudity is a more natural way to enjoy them, bringing us back to our simple humanity. Do not hesitate to comments and to share your experience of naked running and hiking.

Get Naked, Stay Naked, Live Naked and Share the Naked Love!

Photo by Andrew Neel on Unsplash