Why Black Girls Don't Do the Gym

As I wiped the sweat away from my forehead for the fifth time during step class tonight, it dawned on me why I don't go to the gym as often as I should...MY HAIR. Now if you're a black woman, I know you know exactly what I'm talking about. Unlike the white girls who can sweat it out in the gym, go home, wash their hair and be on their merry way, us black girls don't have it so easy. We actually have to "plan" when we will and will not go to the gym. Let me illustrate my point by having you take this short quiz:

On what days of the week will you find the most black women at the gym?

A. Mon, Tues, Wed
B. Wed, Thurs, Fri
C. Fri, Sat, Sun

If you picked B or C...sorry, try again. The correct answer is A. Now why A you ask?
Well, like most black women, I wash, blow dry and flat iron my hair on Thursday night (or sometimes Friday). This allows me to enjoy three days (Friday, Saturday and Sunday) of clean, bouncy, touchable hair.

By Monday, my hair is starting to get greasy and not really moving like it did during the weekend. This, by default, becomes the best day to go to the gym. Hair's already shot, might as well sweat a little in the gym. Now, Tuesday and Wednesday, we usually just throw those days in because supposedly, three days a week at the gym is considered "healthy." We kind of suffer through the week wearing our hair in some variation of a ponytail (half up/ half down, bangs pinned up, sides pulled back, etc.) and look forward to Thursday night when we can start the routine all over again. Thus, Monday-Wednesday are the most "hair friendly" gym days.

So this, you see, is the reason why black women don't do the gym. It's not that we don't want to. It's just that we are (as much as we don't want to admit it) defined by our hair. We don't feel as cute, as sexy, or as happy if our hair isn't exactly right. It's the black woman's dilemma and one we think about constantly. So give us a break, we aren't all lazy. It's just that we'd rather be fat with fly hair then skinny with naps. ;)

Amen!




Now this woman is trying to "hold on" to her weekend hair for just a little while longer (although it's probably just a weave, which makes the whole working out process a little easier!)