Friday Favorites: Four Things I'm Lovin'!

It has been a while since I did a "Favorites" post.... on my blog.  I write them in my head all the time!  To bad my brain doesn't share a wireless connection with my computer.

Hey! - I bet we will have that ability one day.

Everyone walking around - just thinking facebook and twitter updates.

Scary thought, huh?

Anyway, here are several things that I am loving lately:

1)  Borax!

Yes, regular, old-fashioned Borax!  A while back I tackled my stinky laundry problem using a combination of borax and Sport-Wash.  Well, after a lot of experimentation, I've discovered that the real solution is two-fold.

First - allow the sweaty garment to air dry (see my #2 below)

Second - a Borax prewash.  The Borax prewash works so well that I have started using it with every load (not just my workout clothes) to keep that chronic-dank HE washer smell away.  It leaves my clothes fresh-smelling and works better than any of the MANY expensive fragrance options I had tried previously. (YES!, I'm talking to you Downy unStopables!)

2) Wall-Mount Accordion Clothes Dryer!

I needed someplace to drip-dry our sweaty running clothes.  And here in South Georgia, by "sweaty" I mean "you could wring them out and then water your plants!"  I was looking for an alternative to hanging clothes on the shower door, when I came across this gadget ($20 on Amazon).  It's not the prettiest wall decor, but it makes use of our little-used tub, and doesn't require any floor space.

3) My Hand Therapist, Sandy!

This woman drove 40 miles - on her day off - to work on my hand!  I mean, the Rehab office isn't even open on Saturday!

 Thanks to her I have gone from this fist:

to this:

I still have a long road ahead - but at least now I have hope of being able to use the last two fingers again!

4) This Song!

My husband sent me a link to this song with the instructions to "turn it up loud!"
It is a perfect song to run to!



So there you have it!  A few of my favorite things this week!

 What is your favorite new product??

Why does my sweat stink?

Before running took over my life I was a proper southern lady.  I never spit, farted in public, or wore see-through tank tops.  I avoided sweating in public via the liberal use of fans and anti-perspirant.  I did attend Hot Yoga classes for a bit, but perspiring was socially acceptable in that situation and my sweat did. not. stink!

Then I started running.

I remember the first time I smelled my "run sweat".  My husband and I were in the mini-van, driving back home from a run, and I said "Whew!  You stink!"
He said, "I thought that was you."
I responded that my sweat doesn't stink like that.
When we arrived home, I stepped out of the car, and right into my own smell.
No!
That cross between cat urine and Windex could NOT be me!  I'm a delicate southern flower.
Well, apparently, a stink weed "flower"!

The more I sweat the worse the smell is.  Now that summer is upon us, I reek so badly that I refuse to get within 5 feet of another human.  Gone are the days when I popped in the drug store for a gallon of milk on the way home from a run.  I make my sweet-smelling husband do that. <- (there is something so wrong with that statement!)

The smell is so bad that it lingered - even after a wash.  So I recently changed the way I wash my clothes.  I now pre-wash, do a double rinse, and use  "Sport Wash".  So far my workout clothes - at least initially - smell nice and fresh!

In an effort to stop this smelly scourge, I consulted Dr. Internet.  This is what I learned:

Stinky sweat can be caused by:

a High Protein Diet, (nope - love my carbs too much)

Too Much Stress, (nada - I am blessed with a pretty stress-free life)

Red Meat, (almost never eat it)

Bacteria Living On Your Skin, (then my sweat would always stink - not just when I run)

Not Enough Carbohydrate  (ummm, I could and sometimes do live on carbohydrates!)

So, I guess no one really knows.  Maybe it's just a by-product of my awesomeness!  Yeah!  I'm going with that!

Anybody have any suggestions or solutions?  Help!