Is your curly hair keeping you away from the gym? Are you nervous about ruining your hairstyle, not to mention throwing the money you just spent on that relaxer or style down the drain, by sweating and being active on a daily basis?
Well, it is time to stop fearing the gym ladies! Surgeon General Dr. Regina Benjamin recently visited the Bronner Bros. International Hair Show in order to talk to women about this exact issue and to offer these curly hair care tips for the gym. After all, our health should be our number one priority!
Don’t Be a Statistic!
Recent studies have shown that many African American women avoid the gym and other physical activities out of fear of ruining their hairstyles. Let’s be honest, it can be quite expensive to keep up with the expenditures involved with curly hair care, especially for those of us who are still relaxing it, and sweating does tend to change the hairstyle completely. But by putting our looks first and health second, we aren’t doing anything positive for our bodies, our selves or our health in general.
According to the American Journal of Public Health, “Benjamin’s office cited two studies that examined why fewer than 30% of minority women in the United States get the recommended level of exercise.” The reasons were lack of time followed by economic constraints, major life changes or traumas, safety issues, weather and environment, the hassle of personal care such as showering and keeping hair looking good.
Unlike many different kinds of hair, African American hair cannot be washed multiple times a day without draining the hair follicles of essential oils. It’s understandable that an African American woman wouldn’t want to spend an hour at the gym whenever she has plans for a hot date later that night. But things need to change. With more and more people eating unhealthy and the rate of obesity growing, we need to put the excuses aside and get active!
Curly Hair Care Tips
Professional demands also rank high on the excuses to not exercise.- Exercise at night. For many women, it’s just much simpler to work-out at night. This way you don’t have to worry about impressing anyone — our families all love us no matter how sweaty we look — and can go home and go to bed. You can get up the next morning, co-wash and be on your way with a healthy body and healthy hair.
- Experiment with different hairstyles. There are many different hair styles that make working out much easier. Depending on your length of hair, you can try out braids and twists. Because braids and twists are meant to last for an extended length of time, they are ideal for the workout guru!
- Schedule washing your hair around your workout regimen. You don’t need to be working-out hardcore every single day. Spending an hour at the gym three days a week is adequate for staying in shape, as long as you are up and moving on the days in between. Therefore, scheduling the times that you spend at the gym with the day that you are washing your hair can be a great solution to this problem. After all, all life is about time management.
- Working out doesn’t have to be sweaty! You don’t need to be breaking an intense sweat to reap the benefits of physical activity. Simply walking around your neighborhood for 30 minutes a day will increase your heart rate, work your muscles and lower your chances for multiple health risks associated with the lack of physical activity.
Want More?
Try these post-workout curly hair tips to keep you looking great after the gym.
Final Thoughts
Keeping your body and hair looking great doesn’t have to be difficult. You just have to figure out what curly hair care routine works best for your hair and your overall health.
Let us know what YOU do to stay fit and keep your hair looking great!
