When hair care interferes with health and fitness
African-American women often cite time and such socioeconomic issues as lack of support or disposable income as obstacles to adopting an active lifestyle or exercising regularly. Indiana University fitness expert Antonio Williams said, however, that one of the top reasons given by black women of all income levels involves style and hair care.
Williams said black women, particularly college-age women and women with corporate jobs, often sacrifice their health for stylish and often expensive hairdos.
Fears of "sweating out" the hairstyle make lunchtime workouts unlikely and keep the women from the gym or other physical activities. Williams, a fitness consultant and lecturer in IU's School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation, specializes in fitness marketing and perception.
"For years I've heard, 'I can't schedule a personal training session now, I just got my hair done,'" he said. "These women are risking their health for style."
Williams, who gives presentations about this topic, said it is possible to be active without perspiring heavily. He offers the following tips to help women maintain their health and style:
- Walk, don't run. Williams said the amount of time depends on the goals. To be healthy, walking for 30 minutes, three times a week, is sufficient. To lose weight, walk 60-90 minutes, five times a week.
- Break it up. He suggests several daily bouts of 10-minute walks or light jogging because it conveys the same health benefits with less sweating.
- Consult your beautician. Williams encourages women to tell their beauticians that they would like a hairstyle that suits corporate America as well as a healthful lifestyle. Beauticians have told Williams that hair extensions and wearing Afrocentric headwraps during workouts can help preserve styles.
Williams notes that studies from IU and elsewhere often find that African-American women tend to have more favorable body image compared to other women, despite fitness levels.
"We can't continue to sacrifice health for hair," he said.
To read more articles from the Department of Kinesiology in the School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation, visit http://newsinfo.iu.edu/cat/page/normal/356.html.
