The Smellier Side of Things

 I know you might have seen glamour shots of me on fitness websites. A lot of people have said really kind things about my achievements and even my appearance. It's really flattering, but this is as much an honest life blog as it is a fitness page. It's also why I don't do advertising on here; I have career sponsorships, but this is a personal blog where I can really get my feelings out to you all, so I don't try and promote products on here. This post is gonna be about the less-than-glamorous side of my fitness journey, and some of the kinda embarrassing things that have happened to me along the way! I hope that I can encourage you all to be less self conscious about hitting the gym with this one!

So, today was a heavy lifting day. Dumbells and barbells. About two hours into my routine, I was doing standing dumbbell lifts and caught a whiff of myself. I was in a tank top and I realized was totally unleashing the kraken on nearby gym-goers. Like, major, eye-watering pit stink. To top it off, I had totally forgotten to shave these last few days too. So there I was, weights raised, my nose scrunching at my own furry funk. I very sheepishly asked one of my gym girlfriends, Alia, if she was smelling me the whole time. She gave me a very enthusiastic 'yes'. We laughed it off, it's not like our positions hadn't been reversed before, but it's still kinda mortifying!

 

This is not the first time this has happened to me. See, by the time I turned 18, regular deodorant stopped cutting it for me. I'd slather on the stuff and still smell like a giant armpit an hour into my workouts. Once, it ruined a date I'd been excited for. I eventually went to see a doctor and got a prescription, 20 percent aluminum chloride deodorant to keep the smell in check. That stuff will absolutely ruin your favorite shirts and dresses, so I rely on aloe vera and witch hazel in combination with a few stealthy applications of charcoal-based deodorant throughout the night when I'm wearing stuff I don't want to stain. 

Butt sweat. Okay, my booty is on the full and round side, and if I'm not wearing sweat-wicking clothing I'm usually stuck with a big stain down my crack by the end of my routine. For me sports undies with a cotton-polyester blend work pretty well for sweat wicking. Once I hit Booty Saturation you better believe I need to shower. Which brings me to...

There are times where you're going to be short on time and you run out of the gym without a thorough wash-up. Let me tell you, people can smell that sweat. At least, they can smell my sweat! It absolutely seeps into my clothes and stays there. I recommend using baking soda on your sweat jackets and anything else that you don't wash every day. 

My feet can really creep up on me. I've kicked off my shoes and punched myself in the face with the stink that comes off of them. Insoles and medicated foot powder help a lot, especially if you're trying to avoid athlete's foot. 

Okay. Here we go. Protein farts. Never say I haven't been real with you all. I eat and burn a lot of calories. Standard protein powders and shakes can cause some serious gas. Once my friends were over and I had to rip one that was so, uh, memorable that they had to open windows from across the apartment! Going with vegan blend plant protein options or whey protein isolate is a good step for managing it. Also, fiber, lactose, and sugar alcohols are more the culprits than pure protein!

So look, I'm nothing special. I have a human body that I try and embrace. You should too! Don't let a bit of embarrassment stop you from living your best life. Wishing you a great, sweet-smelling week!