Manscaping = No More!

For someone that has always been in shape, it's a new feeling to "let myself go".  To stop worrying about how I look, and how I feel, in favor of a more "free" lifestyle.  Trust me, you have to give into "letting go" when you exchange spinach shakes for Baconators.  

During last week's weigh-in video, I made a public decision to "let myself go completely".  Okay, maybe not COMPLETELY.  Something tells me if I decided to explore the benefits of giving up things like soap and clothes, my blog and journey might turn into something else altogether - like a new episode of "Intervention".  Anyway, I have been surprised by the reaction to this decision - more specifically, to take the "let myself go" idea to the next level - to stop "manscaping".

For those of you not in the know, "manscaping" is the very involved process of trimming, shaving, styling, or otherwise controlling body hair.  I feel the need to define this, as I have been talking to people older than me, and when I used the term, the look on their faces told me one of two things: 1) they had never heard of "manscaping" before or 2) they had heard of it, equated it to "those crazy kids", and were gearing up to go on a tirade about nose hair being a measure of a man's character "back in the day".  

Besides being grateful that I am young enough to not be judged by my nose hair length, "manscaping" is clearly more of a new age term.  More important to this story, let's just say I "hated" having hair on my fit body.  Since the tender age of 17,  I started my "manscaping" lifestyle.  If I went a few days without shaving I felt like I hadn't bathed. 

So what does this have to do with my growing belly, and journey to teach myself and those around me about true health?  Not much.  It's more an opportunity learn to step out of my comfort zone (if I'm going to own it, I may as well do it looking like an overgrown gorilla as opposed to a beached whale).  I do want to comfort everyone reading - for now, I'm only extending the "let myself go" principle to body hair.  For now, I won't stop getting haircuts, stop shaving my face, or stop showering.  Just for giggles, I may consider halting the use of deodorant and toilet paper.  That takes me, my wife, my family, my friends, my city, my state, and probably the country out of their comfort zone.  Speaking of my wife, did I just hear the front door slam?  

In all seriousness, this is just the next step of "learning" for me.  Between losing weight and doing as much "manscaping" as I do landscaping these days (pushing that mower contraption thing is hard work!), I'm physically challenging myself more than I ever have in my life.  

And who knows, maybe my hair suit will suit me! Okay, I'll just stop now.