Work out or have a good-hair day?
Thats the decision many black womenmyself includedface when it comes to going to the gym.
And unfortunately, thehairoften wins out.
Peathegee Inc / Getty Images
For kinky and curly textures, washing your hair after an intensecardio workoutisnt always an option.
Not to mention, sweat can cause straightened or permed hair to curl or kinky hair to shrink significantly.
In short, hair woes have often created a barrier to fitness for us.
Courtesy of Kristin Booker
Hair has always been important to women in general.
African-American women in particular, we spend a lot of money on our hair.
We spend a lot of time on our hair.
Courtesy of Kristin Booker
It’s important that we look good, that we feel good about ourselves.
“There are studies that show that when we ask womenand particularly African-American womenwhy don’t you exercise?
So, how do we untether hair from health forblack women?
Courtesy of Zahra Barnes
I love my hair.
It is truly my crown of glory.
But it doesn’t come easy.
Until recently, a typical Sunday night found me spending six to eight hours styling my Afro.
When it came to hair versus exercise, hair always came first.
I grew up in a world where the tiniest hint of perspiration or precipitation was cause for panic.
A hot summer day meant grabbing a fan and ceasing all movement.
Sweat is an equal-opportunity hairstyle killer.
When I have straight hair, the worry is that it will puff up.
When I have curly hair, the fear is that it will shrink.
Im not a fan of running, but I sprint indoors at the first drop.
Recently, I had a hair tragedy.
After crying real tears, I had to accept that Im now inthe dreaded grow-out phase.
And I did something I never thought Id do: I put on a wig.
But now I know what they know: Awigis the key to having more time in life.
(THIS is why Beyonce is so much more productive in her 24 hours than I am.)
Even better: Im working out five days a week.
Do I miss my natural curls?
Of course, and I cant wait until Im able to wear my real hair again.
But I can guarantee I wont waste as much time styling it.
Thats eight hours a week I could be spending on mykettlebellswings.
A week of gorgeous hair is not worth setting myself up for a lifetime of health issues.
Growing up as a black girl in West Virginia,swimming for exercisewasnever something any of us explored.
The pool was more for laying out in the sun than doing laps.
Mess up the hair?
I still get looks from Caucasian people now when Im working with my natural hair.
The scars run deep.
So I signed up for a sprinttriathlonthis year.
Even though this years sprint tri is a fraction of the ultimate race, its still no joke.
Since Ive started swimming lessons, Ive adopted the curly hair, dont care mantra.
I use Spandex swim caps: super comfortable but not waterproof.
Inevitably, Ill move to braids during competition since, well, theres no time to shower.
Your from-the-future intel couldnt possibly be right.
Id flip through magazines without reading as my eyes watered from the piping-hot stream of air on my scalp.
Id flinch when a searingflatirongrazed my ears, then say it was no problem.
Id shell out hundreds of dollars each month to force my hair to be something its not.
And then, high off the silkiness of the final result, Id always go back.
Exercise =sweat, and sweat = my hair furling up into its usual curly state.
So working out was, well, out.
But the older I got, the more I felt this foreign urge to be an adult.
Or at least more of one.
Avoiding intense exercise to prolong my straight styles got to be too much.
I wanted to be strong, fit, and healthystraight hair be damned.
So, I ran.
I also startedexperimenting with hairstylesthat would work for my curls in all their natural glory.
Im not saying Ill never do it again (a womans got to have her aesthetic choices).
Now, if youll excuse me, I have to run.
Watch: This Fit Mom Works Out With Her Toddler Daughter to Stay in Shape
