Caveat: people differ in body odor based on genetics, hormones, and armpit microbiome. I personally am privileged to not smell bad, therefore I don’t shower until my skin or hair starts to feel icky (a few days).
I used to get dandruff a lot even back when I was showering daily. I saw r/HaircareScience saying sulfates and other chemicals in typical shampoos dry out the scalp and make it overcorrect by producing more oil. this matches my experience. Shampoo is like coffee; it creates dependency. Later, when I stopped showering daily, I did some experimentation and found that if I used shampoo, my scalp would actually feel worse the day after. So I just went cold turkey. Now, my hair routine is: brush it every morning, use normal conditioner every time I shower, and use clarifying conditioner if my hair feels icky.
Shoes
I saw people on r/parkour talk about running barefoot, so I gave it a try. The impact hurt at first, but I focused on landing on my forefoot, I immediately learned the technique and honed it over a few runs. Then I was able to use this technique even while having my shoes on.
At the time, I reasoned that this skill would allow me to be prepared in scenarios where I was wearing high heels or something, because I had the option to take them off and run. Which is true but moot: now I prefer to wear shoes with a “zero drop” because they pack light, are cheap, and comfortable to me.
Walking
Walking strictly slower than running. Most things if done faster will give you more stress, but pure movement done fast both saves time and is healthy.
I tried to give up walking for Lent—except when inside or walking with a group of people, and I can walk when out of breath. Honestly I’ve forgotten to do this sometimes. But it’s fun and I’m getting better.
I also don’t have a sports bra, or any bras really because I’ve grown out of my old ones. This is definitely me being an idiot, but to cope I’ve discovered how to run with long gentle strides such that when the foot lands it loads the energy into the arc of my foot like a spring, using my leg and foot almost like a suspension, and this eliminates the jerky shockwave that would make my tits hurt. It’s easier on the knees and saves energy I think, but harder on the achilles tendon probably? (I don’t trust my biomechanical description here.)
warning that these things can have surprising tradeoffs. my energy-saving technique for descending stairs / slopes quickly also makes me more likely to slip, for instance, though I think I am better at catching myself than most people...
Caveat: people differ in body odor based on genetics, hormones, and armpit microbiome. I personally am privileged to not smell bad, therefore I don’t shower until my skin or hair starts to feel icky (a few days).
Experimenting with this requires a source of trustworthy feedback. Only try this if you have a friend who’s opinion you trust that you can ask whether or not you smell bad.
Practically it’s also worth noting that specific emotional states such as going to an event with a lot of social anxiety can make your body sweet in a way that’s smelly even if you normally don’t.
Skipping showering is easy actually.
Caveat: people differ in body odor based on genetics, hormones, and armpit microbiome. I personally am privileged to not smell bad, therefore I don’t shower until my skin or hair starts to feel icky (a few days).
I used to get dandruff a lot even back when I was showering daily. I saw r/HaircareScience saying sulfates and other chemicals in typical shampoos dry out the scalp and make it overcorrect by producing more oil. this matches my experience. Shampoo is like coffee; it creates dependency. Later, when I stopped showering daily, I did some experimentation and found that if I used shampoo, my scalp would actually feel worse the day after. So I just went cold turkey.
Now, my hair routine is: brush it every morning, use normal conditioner every time I shower, and use clarifying conditioner if my hair feels icky.
I saw people on r/parkour talk about running barefoot, so I gave it a try. The impact hurt at first, but I focused on landing on my forefoot, I immediately learned the technique and honed it over a few runs. Then I was able to use this technique even while having my shoes on.
At the time, I reasoned that this skill would allow me to be prepared in scenarios where I was wearing high heels or something, because I had the option to take them off and run. Which is true but moot: now I prefer to wear shoes with a “zero drop” because they pack light, are cheap, and comfortable to me.
Walking strictly slower than running. Most things if done faster will give you more stress, but pure movement done fast both saves time and is healthy.
I tried to give up walking for Lent—except when inside or walking with a group of people, and I can walk when out of breath. Honestly I’ve forgotten to do this sometimes. But it’s fun and I’m getting better.
I also don’t have a sports bra, or any bras really because I’ve grown out of my old ones. This is definitely me being an idiot, but to cope I’ve discovered how to run with long gentle strides such that when the foot lands it loads the energy into the arc of my foot like a spring, using my leg and foot almost like a suspension, and this eliminates the jerky shockwave that would make my tits hurt. It’s easier on the knees and saves energy I think, but harder on the achilles tendon probably? (I don’t trust my biomechanical description here.)
warning that these things can have surprising tradeoffs. my energy-saving technique for descending stairs / slopes quickly also makes me more likely to slip, for instance, though I think I am better at catching myself than most people...
Experimenting with this requires a source of trustworthy feedback. Only try this if you have a friend who’s opinion you trust that you can ask whether or not you smell bad.
Practically it’s also worth noting that specific emotional states such as going to an event with a lot of social anxiety can make your body sweet in a way that’s smelly even if you normally don’t.