How one man became 'completely comfortable in his own skin'
by Henry
I grew up in high school not the most athletic
person and therefore was very, very insecure with going around
shirtless.......even at the pool I would wear a shirt. I had pale skin,
skinny arms and legs, and a gut. When I did go running it was always
with a shirt and I remember the shirt sticking to my skin and a gross
feeling when I was done. Indiana summers can be very unpleasant in
terms of heat and humidity. When I was in college I made a choice to
better myself in mind and body. I remember going to the gym at 6am
in the cold Indiana autumn mornings and frigid Indiana winters with no
one to spot me or work out with, but I had a goal, and that was to build
my self-esteem by building my body. It took a lot of self-motivation,
but being on science scholarship meant I had to maintain all As in
science and math, and to have good grades I needed a good regimented
program. By going to the gym I was getting into a healthy routine.
As spring came I noticed that I had a little more definition to my arms
and upper body. In the wintertime I did cardio strictly by swimming,
but now it was spring and I wanted to get fresh air.
There
was no transition into running shirtless. I just realized that
my physique looked passable enough to run with no shirt on. I simply
drove to the track, stripped my shirt off, applied suntan lotion, and I
was off. After only a few days I had a very healthy tan and
felt completely comfortable in my own skin. Whenever I saw another
shirtless runner in better shape than me, it only solidified
my motivation to get to the shape he was in. Now I feel a sense of
pride whenever I see a guy, start off running with a shirt on in 90
degree muggy heat until he sees me with no shirt on,
eventually stripping his own off. It's sort of a brief bond that
develops between too complete strangers. Even when I run 5ks I will
start with a shirt on with the bib number applied to my shorts knowing
at the end I'll be bare chested. In the summertime I don't strip off in
5ks because I am trying to show off, but it just becomes the common
sense thing to do when I can feel the heat and sweat radiating in
between my skin and the cloth. And chafed skin from wearing a shirt is
in no way fun. This upcoming summer I am hoping to run my first 10k,
and I'll for sure be shirtless by the end of it. I love going around
outside shirtless and getting a sweet sun tan. Now I will even do yard
work and house painting minus the shirt......it's the natural thing to
do.
Also, I sleep shirtless too now. Again, I'm more
comfortable in my own skin now and the shirt I've found is very
uncomfortable to wear in a bed, even in the wintertime.
