For My Sistahs: Exercise is Key!

I am not a nutritionist but I am a concerned Social Worker who advocates for health and wellness. I am not a hair guru but I can give you some helpful and healthy tips on increasing your hair growth. Ok, do I have your full attention? I understand that women have a hair routine and regime that they follow religiously but have you considered exercising? Now I can see some sistah-girl attitude being displayed but do you know that exercising can promote healthy hair growth?

Exercising increases self-esteem, hair growth and provides a healthy holistic person. It also helps us to boost and strengthen our immune system, overall strength, and prolong health. One reason women of color don’t participate in exercising is partly due to our hair. Yes, you heard me correctly! We rather protect our hair rather than our overall health. In my lifetime, I’ve heard women say, “I don’t want to sweat my hair out nor mess up my new style.” I am here to tell you to get over this superficial mentality and get serious about your health. I understand that some women of color cannot wash and go about their daily routine. Trust me, we have other important things that concern us rather than worry about our hair. Not participating in exercising is a common excuse.

Exercising Increases Hair Growth

Stress is the number one killer in people, especially women. When we are stressed various things happen to our body such as hair thinning or hair falling out. Stress produce a hormone called Cortisone that cause hair follicles to stop growing which can result in thinning of the hair. Once you exercise, the Cortisone levels reduce, which will help your hair grow fuller and quicker.

Are you feeling groggy or depressed? It could be that your Serotonin levels are imbalanced. Serotonin is a chemical that helps us become balanced and happy. Once our Serotonin levels have increased we can manage our stress better.

Regular exercise improves blood circulation, slows down the aging process, increases stamina and increases our overall mood.

Fun Exercises

There are some fun workout routines that you can participate in. I recommend Zumba because this is a fun, upbeat, and energetic way to exercise. You can dance, sweat, and preserve your sexy all at the same time. You can do Zumba daily or whenever is beneficial to your schedule. Zumba is a great cardio workout for any and everyone to do. It is also awesome for those who have a Wii because they have the actual Zumba fitness for Wii or you can purchase the DVDs.

Walking is a great form of cardio. Instead of parking your car by the door, park a mile away and walk to your destination. Take a walk in the mall during your lunch break, or walk the stairs rather than taking the elevator. Trust me you will notice a huge difference within yourself. It only takes 30 minutes a day for a quick cardio workout. For my sistahs who want to channel their inner sexy, check out a pole fitness class. I understand some are shy but pole fitness is a great way to tone and build core strength and upper body strength. Pole fitness is a challenge because you are using your weight as a resistance. You will learn all the pole tricks and get in shape all at the same time. Plus you are guaranteed to lose one dress size within six weeks!

Hairstyles for Exercising

Next time you are sitting in your stylists’ chair ask about different products and styles that will last longer. It is their duty and responsibility to show you these things. You can also try going natural, rocking braids, a bun, or even a sleek short cut. Just be creative.

Don’t let your hair come between you and your health!