photo via Flickr

Our intern Alyssa Perez has a confession to make:

1.  No Constraints: Do a lunge!   Kick your legs!  Spin in a circle while swinging your arms!  Feel that?  Yeah, just air.  No clothes rustling, no bra pinching, no underwear bunching, just air.

2.  Transparency: I can see absolutely everything on my body, and you know what?  That roll that I thought I had peeking out of the top of my jeans while I was bent over in a weird yoga position while trying to reach my pencil that rolled under the bed and between the wall/headboard/dresser… well, its not there at all!  Yeah, I look pretty damn good without any waistbands pinching me!

3.  BOOBIES!: Yes, although I have owned a pair for over a decade now, I am still amazed by how these babies jiggle, and wiggle, and squish, and feel.  Look at them in all their glory!  No wonder men love these.   I love these!

6.  Yes, Jiggling Is a Good Thing: I mentioned how fantastic jiggling boobs are, well, jiggling in general can be awesome.  Just jump around next time you’re naked and see  how wonderful it is to feel your body moving without restraints.  Your hair bouncing around, your boobs flopping, your ass shaking, even your awesome thighs rippling as they support your leaps!

4.  New Sensations: Wandering around naked makes you appreciate the same old things in new ways.    You thought that throw you just bought for the futon was soft?  Well let me tell you… throw that baby around your bare shoulders while naked – now THAT is soft.

5.  Learn to be Adventurous Like Never Before: Remember when you wanted to be just like Ariel one day?  Well the first time I went skinny dipping, I was a mermaid – and a damn sexy one too!  Who knew that a bikini stood between me and pure adrenaline-pumping freedom?  No wonder that saucy little Ariel wasn’t afraid of sharks, went treasure-hunting, and risked everything for true love without a second thought – being naked in water makes you feel invincible, powerful, and beautiful!

7.  Check Out Those Muscles: When you’re naked you can actually see the strength of your body.  Turn around and look at your claves as you go up on your tippy toes – WHOA!!  Look how strong you are!  Check out your butt while you’re up there!  Damn Girl – its tight!  Who knew you were so strong?! I’m not talking about rippling muscles that only trainers, athletes, and body builders have – I’m talking about how strong your body has to be just to get you out of bed in the morning or down the stairs.  Shoot, my boyfriend has ridiculously strong toes that never cease to amaze me (seriously, when the remote for the TV is just too far for my arm to reach, Kevin’s toe powers are truly life-saving).  Everyone has their own secret-body strength.

8.  Slathering Yourself with Love (AKA: Body Lotion): There’s just something sacred about my relationship with my body lotion.  Buddhists have their controlled breathing to help them meditate, Whirling Dervishes have their well… whirling.  I have that moment in the morning or after a shower where I slather on my body lotion.  As I rub my coconut oil on my naked body I just think about the strength I have in me, in this body, and prepare myself for the day ahead.  It’s a moment to slow myself down and remember who I am and what I’m capable of, and it happens when I’m butt naked!

9.  Discovery: One of the coolest things about being naked is that you discover new things on your body that you never knew were there!  When I was little I sat on a pile of sharpened pencils and the other day I re-discovered a lead mark that has been on my butt cheek since that fateful day. Around the corner from this lead scar is my newly-discovered favorite mole and north of that mole is a freckle by my collarbone that is the mirror-image to a freckle my boyfriend has on his collarbone.  This body-map is constantly changing and surprising me in wonderful ways! Sometimes, though, a body-landmark can be the forebearer of dire news – which is why taking the time to really look at your glorious, naked form is not only fun but also just-plain-healthy.  When you take the time to really look at yourself and learn your body you’ll be more likely to notice an irregular mole that could be pre-cancerous or other physical signs of a budding ailment.  Who knew playing your own doctor could be so sexy though?!

10.  Self-Possession: When I’m naked I truly understand what being self-possessed really means to me.  This body, my body, is that – its mine!  Its something that only I know all the curves to, all the weak spots, all the kick-ass, strong spots – mine, all mine.  Even if someone accidently sees me naked or tries to cop a feel – they’ll never know me the way I know me.  I can share this knowledge with someone I love, but without me to guide them, there’s no way anyone else will get to see and feel what I get to see and feel every day.