Charting the rise of nude fitness

THEY'RE hiking in the Aussie bush, swimming Sydney Harbour and doing the downward-facing dog in yoga studios.

THEY'RE hiking in the Aussie bush, swimming Sydney Harbour and doing the downward-facing dog in yoga studios.

These intrepid fitness and adventure enthusiasts have joined a growing global trend of clothing-optional recreational pursuits.

So what makes exercise in the nude so appealing? While supporters of the concept talk about feeling free and "at one with nature", all of them stress that a less-dressed lifestyle has nothing to do with sex.

"Being naked is emancipating," Nigel Marsh, founder and organiser of the annual Sydney Skinny nude swimming event in Sydney Harbour, says. "It strips life back to its essentials, forces you to accept your real self and shake off the shackles modern society so often puts on us."

The Australian Naturist Federation agrees, saying: "Relaxing nude is more relaxing than being clothed, as you literally strip away all cares and pretensions of daily life."

A GLOBAL TREND WITH HISTORIC ROOTS

While exercising in the nude is enjoying an international revival, the Greeks were happily competing in track, field and martial arts without clothes 2500 years ago.

Historians seem divided on the actual reasons for the ancient clothes-free competitions. Some claim that rather than being the great leveller, having to compete nude separated the upper-classes from the working classes as the pampered rich were able to train more frequently and therefore look more ripped and have an all-over tan.

Whatever the ancient Greeks' reasons for nuding up, a wave of global sports enthusiasts are again embracing the idea of naked events and exercise.

There have been nude bike rides in London; nude cross-fit classes attracted so much attention (both positive and negative) at a Danish gym, they had to be taken off the timetable; nude yoga classes are all the rage in New York, while across the US "nakations" (nude vacations) are growing in popularity.

Michael Connolly is the founder of the Facebook page Australian Naturist News (he blogs under the name "nudeyman") and a keen nude bushwalker, who tends to go either alone or with his wife. He says that while Australia is a little more conservative when it comes to clothing-optional non-sexual pursuits, he believes there's been a gentle upswing in the number of people who want to give nude activities a go. "We're a bit more low-key here, compared to the US and parts of Europe," he says. "I wouldn't say it's 'taking off' like it is elsewhere, but there's certainly more interest."

"Bushwalking nude is quite an experience," Connolly adds, saying that he uses his lunch hour most days to head clothes-free into the bush. "This may sound like a cliché, but you really do feel like you're more connected to your environment. And it's more comfortable - your body temperature regulates better without clothes and you can feel the sun, the wind, the elements."

In Sydney, a group of hikers called the Fat Canyoners, who are loosely linked to the Sydney University Bushwalkers, regularly strip down to a pair of boots, a backpack and a hat to enjoy time in the great outdoors.

WHAT'S THE ATTRACTION?

The Sydney Skinny swim shows there's a rise in willingness to disrobe for outdoor pursuits - while it started as a small event in 2013, it attracted more than 700 naked swimmers in February. "I'm not an expert in why there's global growth but I believe that people the world over are crying out for chances to be authentic and stop pretending," Marsh says. "Maybe they see in nude events a welcome absence of bullshit, a chance to celebrate what unites us rather than divides us. It's more difficult to be an anti-social jerk if you're swimming naked with 1000 other people in one of the world's most beautiful natural harbours.

"[In the Sydney Skinny] people come out of the ocean feeling happier, more positive, kinder and more connected. Without being religious, there's a 'baptismal vibe' to it. You come out of the water somehow cleansed and focused anew on the future and what you can make of it."

The organisers of naked yoga in New York say that rather than making people self-conscious, being nude is about "being comfortable in your own skin". "It's about knowing, accepting and loving yourself at your core," it says on its website. "Practising yoga naked frees you from negative feelings about your body and allows you to be more accepting and deeper connected with yourself and the world around you." Psychologist Sally-Anne McCormack says that for some people, taking part in a naked event is like bungee jumping. "It takes them right out of their comfort zone but in a safe environment," she explains. "For others it can be about stripping back the pretences and being at one with themselves and with nature, without the trappings of society.

"Nudity, in this non-sexual way, can be a great leveller," she adds. "People report feeling at peace and without awkwardness about their bodies and how they look. But it's not for everyone."

NUDE SPORTS DOWN UNDER

+ Ten-pin bowling
This is organised by individual naturist clubs and organisations.

+ Yoga
Most classes are held in Sydney and Melbourne and they're predominantly men-only.

+ Sydney Skinny
Said to be the world's first nude ocean swim, this will next be held in Sydney Harbour on March 1, 2015.

+ Bushwalking
Sydney group the Fat Canyoners hold regular clothing-free walks.

+ Pilwarren Maslin Beach Nude Games
This family-friendly event is held each year on a nudist beach near Adelaide and includes games such as sack races and doughnut-eating competitions.

This article first appeared on Body + Soul.