One of the questions I will often get asked is “what is nudism (naturism)?” I try to avoid the most obvious answer, which is “being naked” as it is far more than that. Nudism provides an opportunity to live naked – both in a private and public setting. Privately within my own home, and publicly at resorts, or runs (5Ks for example) and other social settings. I like to think of nudism (or being a nudist) as just another part of who I am, but I did get to thinking about what others have written in defining nudism.
Over at Gymnophiliac, EJP (the author) provides a great definition of nudism (with graphics, not pictures). In the post, EJP explains (in his words) the differences between nudism, nudity, sex and exhibitionism.
The American Association of Nude Recreation (AANR) has a great FAQ section which outlines many of the benefits of naturism, as does The Naturist Society.