Perspiration Pals 7 September 2022

Hi Pals! How are you? I’ve just started work so I have a little time to say hello and start the thread. I did Day 17 of Strong 2. I chose the upper-body routine with Daniel because Tasha always wants me to lean on my diseased wrist… I need to do something about this ganglion. But I digress. Last week we were talking about the origin of dumbbells and gyms and so I thought I’d continue with the origin stories. Do you immediately have a shower after a nice long workout session? I usually wait a little because I need to literally cool down. Otherwise I’d just continue sweating.

To be honest, I really, really don’t like sweating. It’s sticky and yucky and I can’t wait to wash it off. Have people always thought that a well-washed body is healthier than going without a bath for weeks or even months…? The ancient Greeks were the first to develop showers, where water flowed through lead pipes over people’s heads. The Romans expanded on this pipe system, creating expansive aqueducts (they weren’t the first to create those, though) that supplied indoor plumbing and bathhouses with water. Of course in those times people didn’t have their own personal bathrooms. Or toilets… Ancient Egyptians placed high importance on bathing and believed that the cleaner and well-oiled the person was, the closer they were to the gods. I like being closer to the gods although I’m not well-oiled.

What do you think people in the Middle Ages thought about bathing? I remember my brother and my favourite cousin had this silly game called ‘So people in the Middle Ages…’ and they would list all the disgusting things they could imagine about bad personal hygiene. Usually when some of us were actually eating… Please feel free to tell us about anything you know about the history of bathing all over the world.

All right, I really need to go now, have an easy day, work out, have a nice short shower and kiss your pets and children. (maybe kiss your children first)

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