A Choice of Wellness & Liberatio

Let’s get right into it and talk about the often-overlooked realm of undergarments—or rather, the lack thereof. Yes, you read that correctly. A few years ago I made the decision to declare allegiance to the commando lifestyle–for the most part anyway (I still wear underwear with jeans and sundresses).

For me, picking out what to wear to an event or even for the day has always come with its own challenges. I’d often find myself asking questions like: what’s the weather going to be like, will I be comfortable in this, is it appropriate for the occasion. Now layer on another question: should I wear underwear with this. More often than not, my answer was a simple, “no.” 

My “no” didn’t come overnight, instead it was the result of small instances that started to shift my view on wearing underwear.  

The Decision to Ditch Underwear

Let’s start at the beginning. Like many women, I spent years adhering to societal norms, dutifully donning undergarments day in and day out. However, despite the array of styles and fabrics available, I found myself perpetually plagued by discomfort. Whether it was the constriction of elastic waistbands, the relentless wedgies, or the suffocating sensation of synthetic fabrics, wearing underwear became an exercise in endurance rather than an exercise in comfort.

I spend most of my days in workout clothes. I’m either actually working out or working from home outfitted in leggings, sweats or shorts–things that lend themselves to comfort, so I see no point in wearing underwear. This started some years ago. I realized underwear felt restrictive, uncomfortable and even unnecessary. I began to really notice this in conjunction with my workouts. I found that I had to always tailor my activewear to whatever underwear I had in my drawer–certain leggings went best with certain underwear. That was annoying to say the least. Then I began to notice the panty lines, which I did not care for. I started to consider seamless underwear, but even those felt awful to me and they felt like a breeding ground for a yeast infection or BV.  

The Liberation of Going Commando

And so my commando journey began. Almost instantly I felt liberated from the confines of undergarments, I experienced a sense of lightness and ease in my activities–especially my workouts. This was a new me–a me no longer bound by restrictive waistbands or tangled straps or thongs that dug deep. 

This was one of the most profound shifts in my  fitness routine. I’m active–very active. I weight train, spin, do yoga, pilates and circuit classes, so to get through those things, comfort is key. Gone were the days of awkwardly adjusting my underwear mid-workout or battling with the dreaded visible panty lines. Full disclosure, something like that can throw off my entire workout. So, I was thrilled at the seamless integration of my body and my activewear and my ability to move confidence, not frustration. From high-intensity cardio sessions to serene yoga flows, I found that going commando not only enhanced my comfort but also elevated my performance. Strange to think that a small bit of fabric could actually impact a workout so drastically–but it can and it did.