This past Thursday was Thanksgiving, which was followed by Black Friday.  This year there was much controversy about stores opening on Thanksgiving.  On the one hand, it thinned out the crazy Black Friday crowds by spreading the sales out a bit.  On the other hand, it hardly seems right that people have to work on Thanksgiving, a day when we should all have the opportunity to spend time with family and friends.  In my eyes, having stores open on Thanksgiving is just another example of corporate greed gone too far.  Those who are in charge of our big-name stores don’t care about the employees who are working their butt off on Thanksgiving and risking their safety and sanity to serve customers on Black Friday.  Today I read in the paper that many employees at these big chain stores receive Food Stamps and other Social Service benefits to supplement their small pay, even though they work full-time.

Thankfully, Black Friday is followed by Small Business Saturday.  This is the first year I’ve heard of Small Business Saturday, perhaps in part because I know so many small business owners this year.  Small Business Saturday is a day in which we celebrate the small businesses in our communities by shopping and buying local.  Upon learning about Small Business Saturday, I made a decision this year: all of the gifts that I give will be either handmade or purchased at small businesses.  These are people who are right around me and whom I can support.

Today’s visit to one small business reminded me of exactly why I am going to continue to shop local.  The beauty salon where I have my hair done, Inside Out Beauty Consulting, which is located in Cohoes, NY, had a Holiday Open House today.  Upon entering, I heard the owner, Danielle, talking with one of her employees.  The employee had a personal issue that needed to be attended to and the compassion shown to this employee was a model of how every business should operate and how most every small business that I’m aware of operates.  In a small business, we see people interacting with people, not a corporate group managing employees. There is a difference and that difference is called love.  Of course, this only makes me love my beauty salon even more- please feel free to check them out if you’re in the area.

What does this have to do with nudism?  Everything!  All of the nudist camps and clubs that I know of would be in the category of a small business.  These are people who work with people rather than corporations managing employees.  When you go to a nudist location you are supporting a small business owner who has a dream of owning a nudist club.  That nudist club probably acts as a family in supporting each other and helping each other out.  From those I’ve talked with who work at their nudist camp and from my own personal experience, the owners treat their employees with the love, compassion, and humanity that every person deserves.

As Small Business Saturday comes to its conclusion, let’s remember that we can support our nudist businesses any day of the year.  If you’re looking for the perfect gift for a nudist friend or family member, why not consider a gift of an AANR Membership or money to be used in paying day fees at their local club?  Buying from Small Businesses: it’s the gift that keeps on giving!

Since people ask me what I’m looking for in a man, I’ve decided to compile a list so that potential applicants know what requirements they need to meet should they apply.  If you do not meet all of the following requirements, your application will quickly land in the world wide web’s circular file:

• Is a nudist.
• Likes country music (bonus points for knowing all the words to either Through the Years or Red Solo Cup.)
• Sees Mister Rogers as a hero, just as I do.
• Can agree to disagree without hard feelings or temper tantrums.
• Eats normal healthy food.  That is, I can identify everything they eat.
• No illegal drugs or alcoholism.
• Spending an afternoon with a bucket of bubble solution and a bubble wand equals utopia.
• Shows respect for my family- they’re the only family Ive got and they’re a little quirky.
• Reads and is well-read.
• Must love dogs.  Especially a cute little cockapoo named Little Bare.
• When describing his age, includes half years as needed (ie. 38 and a half.)
• With the age thing, he’s not so old that he could be my grandfather nor is he so young he could be my grandson (I’m 37 for those who don’t know my age.  My birthday was on July 18.  If you sent me a gift, card, or kind message, that would have given you bonus points!)
• Enjoys tree climbing.
• When asked if the glass is half empty or half full, quickly loses sight of the question and wonders what in the world people are thinking to entrust him with glass rather than plastic.
• No prison record that would exempt him from being a good guy.
• Has respect for one of the greatest inventions ever: the Slip n’ Slide.
• Sees every day as a holiday to be celebrated.

So there ya go- my list!  Not quite a bucket list or a Christmas List, I suppose.  Actually, in thinking about it, it’s kind of a mix of the two.  Now to create the application for anyone choosing to apply…

Heatlhy.  You’ve heard of and so have I.  In the past, when I’ve applied this word to eating, the focus has been on the first syllable: Hell.   Eating healthy is Hell, right?  Yet being healthy is Heaven.  It seems like a contradiction and, somehow, many of us have hoped to be healthy without eating healthy.  Has this worked for you?  Because it didn’t work for me.

I recently learned that this whole healthy eating thing isn’t Dante’s Inferno.  In fact, I can actually say that healthy eating is- get this!- kind of heavenly.  Those of you who know me are probably sitting there wondering how Kraft Macaroni and Cheese or Choco Tacos are somehow part of a nutritious diet.  Well, I’m here to explain, tell my story, and maybe, just maybe, inspire others to try the change of eating just as I did.

It’s hard to start at the beginning when you don’t know where the beginning in.  Perhaps, for me, there were a few beginnings.  The first one that comes to mind is throwing my back out in November 2010.  Though that back went out quite easily, it sure didn’t come back easily!  In the spring of 2011 I was told that there was a good chance I’d never walk again and I was told that I might want to consider getting a scooter.  At the age of 35, this didn’t set well with me.  So, I went in to the hot tub and heated pool to do some exercise.  Thankfully, I was given a second chance and today I’m walking great and without any back pain.  Yay pool!  Or, maybe more accurately, yay exercise!  While my body size might not have been the total cause of my back issues, having a lot of excess weight certainly didn’t help.  This has been weighing on my mind- just as that extra weight weighed on my back.

I also have felt just plain unhealthy for several years now.  This was an enigma to me until this past week or so, when I realized that OF COURSE I was feeling unhealthy: I am what I eat and what I was eating was unhealthy.  For someone who claims some level of intelligence, this was a “well, duh!” realization for me.  If I’m living on soda, chips, ice cream, and such, there’s no way I’m going to feel healthy.  Feeling unhealthy did finally catch up with me and I realized I needed a change.

Thankfully, it was at this time that I was able to look around and see people around me who had made lifestyle changes and were an inspiration.  My friends Kayla and Eric (Eric is the writer of The Family Naturist blog), had recently made really amazing changes in their eating and activity habits and report that they look and feel fabulous.  Plus, I learned that Corky Stanton, founder of ClothesFree.com, has lost over 100 pounds in under 10 months and is feeling great!   If others can do it, surely pig-headed me can do it, too!

The big change occurred last week, when I asked my friend Marisa a health question and she connected me with Kevin Daugherty of Greater Life Health Coaching via Facebook; Kevin had been her Health Coach for a short time and she was really feeling the results.  Kevin sent me a message via Facebook about my pup, Little Bare, and the rest just kind of happened.

So last Friday Kevin came down to Nakedtown (I was dressed, out of courtesy) and had a free consultation with me.  I figured I had nothing to lose: the price was right and I didn’t even have to drive there, so even the laziest of lazy could accomplish this meeting.  As it turned out, Kevin has a clue.  Shoot, he might even be our very own Hasbro and OWN the whole Clue Game!  He’s not some guy who has been Mr. Healthy all his life and is now a Health Nazi (or any other Nazi, from what I can tell.)  He’s been in my shoes and he’s traveled the path that I’m newly choosing.  Now, after getting all sorts of fancy shmnanzy training, he is a professional Health Coach and filled with even more amazing thoughts and ideas.

After our session, I decided to make some major life changes and it’s been great so far.  Those vegetable things actually taste good, believe it or now!  And water?  It’s not just for swimming, water volleyball, or the hot tub… you can drink it!  I’m learning that eating healthy isn’t nearly as expensive as I thought and it also tastes really good.  Choco Taco good?  Ummm… in many ways, yes, though I confess that I will still be eating a Choco Taco now and again.  And I’m ok with that: it’s not about being perfect, it’s about being better.  However, a Choco Taco isn’t nearly as cool-looking as some of the fun healthy meals that I’ve created, especially my recent veggie happy face.

Today was my first “real” session with Kevin and it was amazing. Amazing enough that I’m ready to tell the world about the path I’ve chosen without fear that a week from now I’ll be back with my old buddies Choco Taco and Junk Food.  How do I have such confidence?  I have the tools now to have a clue of how to eat healthy and I have a Health Coach to guide me in the process of doing a whole lifestyle overhaul.  (In case you can’t tell, I strongly recommend contacting Kevin for a free consultation to see how your life can change if you’re in the Upstate NY area!)

Being a nudist means body acceptance and I think I’ve achieved that.  But that doesn’t mean giving up on my body and eating out of control.  No, body acceptance is accepting the body I have while also respecting it enough to take care of it.   For me, this isn’t about weight loss- though I am proud to report that I’m down eight pounds- it’s about living a healthy life.  I’m confident the weight will fall off on its own as I do my durnedest to live the healthy life that I am intended to live and which will help me to feel comfortable in my skin and living my dream even more than I do now.

What say you?  How does body acceptance relate to healthy living?  Is healthy living only in effect to create the body that looks good, which is contrary to body acceptance?  I’d love to hear your thoughts on living healthy and how this relates to body acceptance.  So…  speak to me, people!