HOMEGROWN celebrates the imaginative, passionate people living HOMEGROWN
Bike stink: how do you deal??
What are your tricks for staying fresh as a daisy after your sweaty rides? Do you bike to work? Do you then sink-shower? Baby wipes? Powder?
Inquiring minds (and stinky pits) need to know!!!
Inquiring minds (and stinky pits) need to know!!!
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Mikey Sklar on -
I used to do a 5 mile ride from Williamsburg, Brooklyn into Manhattan for my old Wall St. gig. The ride was a lot of fun since there was a bike lane for almost the entire distance.
In the summers I would go to work at 6am in the morning and leave the office around 3pm. The mornings were cool enough to avoid be a sweaty mess. On my way home I'd be disgusting, but I could shower once I got to me apartment.
During the winters I would leave for work at 9:30am and leave the office by 5pm. I know a short day. I wasn't a good employee :).
-
Permalink Reply by Devin Quince on -
I ride everyday all year. Just turned over 4100 miles for the year. I live a very pioneer lifestyle, as I do a sponge bath every night right before bed. I bath 1-2 times a week with the rest of my family starting with the boys, the my Wife, and finally with me. Hopefully we are saving water and gas, but only using the bath only 1-2 days a week.
-
Permalink Reply by A Small Victory Garden on -
I'm not a bike rider (yet) but I will pass a long an interesting bit of info about changing your body smell. I know that sounds weird, but hear me out. During the last 3 months of my wife's pregnancy, my mother in law moved in. She's an amazing Vegetarian cook, and we were sprouting our own and eating sprouts everyday. After about a week, I noticed the funk under my armpits didn't smell so "funky" anymore. Rather it had a kind of Maple Syrupy smell. My mother in law mentioned she wasn't as stinky either. It was a pretty interesting.
Nice thing about sprouts is you can sprout them all year, for some fresh greens, and try lots of different types of seeds. I don't know if it's a solution for "bike stink" but I didn't have to wear deodorant for a while.
-
Permalink Reply by Miguel Marcos on -
Wool. It's the lowest-stink material out there. I use synthetic shorts and shirts when I run and go to the gym but when I want to try to run as low as possible on the stink factor, like on a backpacking trip, I opt for wool.
-
Permalink Reply by future_reference on -
If you don't want to bring a full change of clothes, at least have a fresh undershirt and socks (or whatever gets the most uncomfortably sweaty.) I use kiss my face patchouli deodorant which is the best one I have ever found (for me) and only smells like patchouli at close range. When you have to be more pro about things your only option is leave earlier, bring a full change of clothes, and keep some toiletries at work.
Basically if you can't sit in yr own funk all day it can get over-complicated.
-
Permalink Reply by Lisa Kairos on -
Ditto the info about types of fibers you wear and diet. Synthetics, while being comfortable, wicking things, hold on to stink as much, if not worse than, cotton. Wool is best. Super-wash merino is the least itchy. Also, about diet, I find that following a vegetarian , whole food diet with lots of veggies really cuts down on the b.o.- the only time I get smelly sweat is when I am stressed out. I used to bike to work for years, and I just did a basic sink wash up when I got there, and kept some deoderant and a hand towel in my bag. It was never a problem, but then, it was also a really casual job.
Links
Living HOMEGROWN
Badge
Latest from FARM AID
USDA Issues New Regulations Protecting Contract Farmers
The USDA released regulations (PDF link) this week that will provide new, much-needed protections for contract poultry farmers.Contract farming generally refers to a system in which a farmer raises or grows an agricultural product for a larger company. Contract poultry farmers invest their own money to build poultry barns to company specifications. Under contract, a company delivers the chicks to the grower who uses company feed and medicine to raise the chicks. The company retains ownership of the birds and dictates how the chicks are to be raised. The grown birds then go back to be processed by the poultry company for a previously agreed-upon price based on the birds' weight.
A typical chicken house costs about $300,000 to build, and most companies encourage growers to build at least four houses, for an investment in excess of $1 million. Frequently, growers take out loans covering that entire expense, only to find themselves dropped by the company, often with little or no notice. While there exists the potential for fair contracts in this agricultural system, that has not been the case historically. Contract growers have typically been extremely vulnerable, the contracts tilted against the grower who is subject to the whims of the poultry company. These new regulations issued by the USDA's Grain Inspection, Packers & Stockyards Administration will help change that system.
Under the new rules:
- Companies must provide farmers with a written copy of the contract before the farmer makes an initial investment in his or her poultry houses;
- Contracts with confidentiality clauses must allow farmers to discuss contract offers with federal or state agencies, immediate family members, business associates, farmers who contract with the same company, accounting services hired by the farmer, a lawyer or financial advisor before signing;
- Contracts must state that if a farmer is put on a performance improvement plan (in other words, if they've received a warning that could potentially lead to their contract being terminated), they must be told why, what steps will be taken to help them improve, how they can regain good standing, and the factors that will be used to determine when or if the contract will be terminated;
- Farmers must be notified in writing within 90 days before a contract is terminated, expired, not renewed or not replaced.
"When the company terminated my contract, the company representative left a message on my answering machine saying that the flock of chickens that we had would be our last," Kevin said. "We had no warning. No one should be in that situation."
Mickey Box, a farmer in Berryville, Arkansas, agreed. "Growers have been left in the dark," Mickey said. "When I was put on a performance improvement plan, I knew I could lose my contract. It would have helped to know how I could get back in good standing."
Becky Ceartas, director of the contract agriculture reform program at Farm Aid-funded group Rural Advancement Foundation International-USA (RAFI), said these rules increase fairness, transparency and good business practices.
"Before farmers make the financial commitment to build poultry facilities on their farms, they need to know exactly what's expected and what the terms of that arrangement will be," said Ceartas. "An informed farmer can make better decisions, and that benefits everyone."
Farmers and concerned consumers can get more information about these rules by calling Ceartas at (919) 542-1396 x209 or by visiting www.rafiusa.org.
The Administration will release additional proposed regulations in early 2010 that will deal with other competition and fairness issues in poultry and livestock agriculture—stay tuned!
© 2009 Created by HOMEGROWN.org
