Why It’s Crazy Empowering to Run Shirtless
Comfort is a daily battle for plus-size runners. We layer with clothing to hide our bodies and we girdle ourselves underneath to minimize imperfections. We worry that our not-so-ideal bodies might offend any onlooker. But all we're really doing is creating a fabric sweatbox from hell.
Our "security blankets" seem to work, but I eventually learned that those extra clothes were just closing me off from my true athletic self. One day on an eight-mile run, the sun was brutal and the sweat pouring off my body was unbearable. It was so sweltering hot, nudity would've been justified. I was alone on one of my favorite trails ∈Atlanta and did something I'd never considered before: I took off my sweat-soaked shirt and tucked it ∈ the side of my yoga pants.
It wasn't a magic moment. I still worried constantly about how my back fat looked peeking through my sports-bra straps. But taking off that layer made me run faster, and better. Despite the worries, there was also a sigh of relief, a feeling of new freedom. The irony is, as I crossed other runners on the trail, I got zero weird stares or judgy looks. The only reactions from my fellow runners were a casual "You go, girl" or a thumbs-up. I wished I'd done this sooner!
I knew that thousands of women who are shaped like me would want the same experience. I wanted to inspire them to allow themselves that freedom, so I posted my pics online of little old fat me ∈a sports bra. The love I got back was unbelievable. For us "big girls," this support feels monumental--it goes against fat-girl clothing and posting rules. The most common phrase I hear is "I wish I was that confident." For some reason, we plus-size folks believe that by hiding ourselves through layers of clothing we'll somehow shrink our appearance, when ∈ fact it does the opposite.
Even worse, constricting yourself with clothing limits you. My short-sleeved cotton tee symbolized what I was doing to myself mentally as an athlete. I was trapped under the heavy fabric, and unable to run to my full potential because I was so worried about how people would view my body. No more. It's time to take off our security blankets we use to cover up, and accept the body we have.
Running fat is uncomfortable, being fat has been uncomfortable, and wondering what everyone else may think of me was uncomfortable. Let's retire the uncomfortableness, give it a burial, and move the hell on! We all practically have a Ph.D. ∈ being uncomfortable, and let the truth be told: It is ∈ those uncomfortable states we level up, if--and that's a big IF--we decide to no longer reside there. Imagine giving yourself the ability to move better, feel better, and be a better runner. Unlayering our clothing is beyond empowering--it's a necessity of self-acceptance.
Risk what your body may look like ∈ the eyes of others for the sake of accepting your body and allow yourself to be comfortable. Your body is changing for the better; give it the comfort and it deserves. Not all athletes are born with athletic bodies, but many of us have an athlete deep within, waiting to be unpacked. Uncover that athlete, starting with your tee shirt.
Bradley, Kimberly Nuzingah. "Why It’s Crazy Empowering to Run Shirtless." Runner's World, June 2019, p. 52+. Gale Health and Wellness, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A593148543/HWRC?u=pwplsremote&sid=HWRC&xid=139b6748. Accessed 27 Oct. 2019.
In the conclusion, Bradley encourages runners to do all the items below, EXCEPT
