What Is That Smell?
Written by Teena Travis
Have you ever finished a particularly sweaty workout, took in a deep breath and nearly choked on the scent of some extremely powerful body odor?
If you are lucky, it’s either your best gym buddy and you can simply say “Dude, you might need to find a new deodorant!”, OR it is yourself and you can meekly slink off to the shower and promptly burn those gym clothes! However, if you are unlucky, it is someone you don’t know well enough to be entirely comfortable saying anything to because, let’s face it, it is a grossly (pun intended) uncomfortable situation!
On a personal level, if it were me, I would sincerely hope that someone would kindly mention that while they are super proud of me for hitting the gym so hard, it might be time to consider a new antiperspirant or, at the very least, invest in a new detergent and wash those knee sleeves. Be kind, do it discreetly and as painlessly as possible, but it’s ok – please say something! If you are the individual that people are kindly informing about a particular odor that follows you around the gym then it might be time to try out some of the following tips.
Here are a few things that will help get rid of those pesky smells:
– Use an antiperspirant before each workout. Throw a stick in your gym bag so you are never without.
– Try applying an antiperspirant at bedtime rather than just in the morning. This will give the product a chance to work its magic while you are not sweating. When you put on an antiperspirant only after showering in the morning the sweat that you accrue during the day really just washes the product off.
– Do your best to keep those sensitive areas of your body, such as your underarms, dry. It is pretty hard for bacteria to reproduce and cause an unpleasant odor if the conditions just do not exist in order for it to do so.
– Wash your gym clothes immediately after a workout. Sweat riddled gym cloths are a proverbial bacterial breeding ground.
– If you find you have some stubborn smelling gym clothes, try deodorizing your clothes by adding white distilled vinegar to your gym laundry. Add 1 cup of white distilled vinegar to the last rinse cycle of a load to neutralize bad smells. If that doesn’t work, I hate to say it, but it’s time to just get rid of those outfits and plan a shopping trip.
– Make a point to avoid foods that can contribute to body odor such as garlic, curry, or (heaven forbid) fast foods. Instead, look for foods high in chlorophyll, which are known for their deodorizing effect, such as kale, chard, or spinach.
I know this is a tough topic but just remember that whether you are trying to find a way to tell someone that they are not smelling linen fresh or discovering that you, yourself, are not smelling like a rose, you are not alone.
If you need more ideas on how to stay smelling pleasant, check out this article by WedMD on the subject of reducing body order.
Good Call!