Yep, I'm going to talk about it because so many of us have it and right now it is bugging me so bad that I want to rip my skin off!
I don't have much of a filter here, so I'll share what's going on.
My workouts have felt so incredibly good since the New Year. Challenging, but I can tell I'm progressing by lifting heavier weights or doing a slightly harder variation of something. When I'm in a groove like this, it's almost like electricity going through my body after a workout. No puppies, rainbows, and glitter coming out of my pores, but it's such a better feeling than that after doing some awful destructive behavior from my past like binge eating. Makes me hurt to think about it.
Anyway, I'm not sure if it's dry skin plus more workouts or what, but I have got some major chub rub going on my inner thighs right now. As you'd imagine, losing a large chunk of weight will leave you with sagging skin and reduced skin elasticity. There's just not as much volume to fill it out. Imagine a balloon after it's been sitting for a few days. It gets smaller, but it loses the taught shiny exterior and becomes opaque and wrinkly. Yep, I just compared my chub rub ridden thighs with a balloon – you get the point.
This week its been bad. I didn't even have chub rub when training for my half-marathon, and as you can guess, the thighs got a lot more action than they're getting right now (come on guys, get your heads out of the gutter.) Folds of skin aren't meant to rub up on each other.
In an attempt to help remedy the chub rub, I've taken the following precautions:
- Wear tighter fitting clothes which actually minimizes rubbing. This is a good tactic and has worked pretty well, although I don't really ever wear baggy pants so don't know the alternative
- Dry the area immediately. If I'm sweaty, hop in the shower and then dry off the area really well. Let it breathe.
- Don't scratch it. For real.
- Before workouts, add Body Glide to the bad areas. It's a anti-chafe skin lubricant, which sounds awful, but actually does help reduce the irritation during the workout (and no, this isn't a sponsored post!)
Two things I've tried that were highly unsuccessful?
- Baby powder before the gym. 1) you then reek of baby powder; 2) as soon as you start moving, the powder is flying out of your thighs – through your pants and highly visible; 3) it almost leaves the area too dry, which then makes the skin kind of rough feeling.
- Medicated Gold Bond powder. Did anyone know that the “medicated” part in Gold Bond is menthol? Don't get it near any bits you don't want to have an intense cooling sensation. Isolating the area doesn't work. That stuff creeps to places it shouldn't go.
I'd be remiss to mention that if you have chub rub that won't go away, there is a chance it could be a skin yeast infection. Oy. Here are some signs from WebMD:
- Rash
- Patches that ooze clear fluid
- Pimple-like bumps
- Itching or burning
