I got my hair cut this weekend, specifically so that I’d not have an excuse not to work out in the mornings. I have very thick, very fine hair, and unfortunately it takes hours to dry. Frequently it feels like I’ll avoid working out so that I don’t have to wash my hair again. So on Saturday I hacked it all off, and this morning I got up and did a workout.
It was only a half hour: 15 minutes of aerobics and 15 minutes of strength, but I was totally wiped out afterward. I’m guessing several factors are involved; not getting enough sleep the past few nights and generally being out of shape being the main two. I created a Google doc spreadsheet to keep track of my exercise, because unlike tracking food intake, I think tracking exercise is fun. I like the idea of pushing myself to see improvement, of creating tables of data and analyzing my performance.
Right now my performance is so weak that it’s kind of amazing I can get up and down the stairs. Nowhere to go but up!
I hate hair drying too, although as I’ve grown older, it dries more quickly than it used to.
There was an article in the NY times a couple weeks ago about frequency of hair washing, and how we shouldn’t be washing our hair more than 3 times a week, and that this daily hair washing thing is a fad that began in the 1980′s to sell shampoo. I felt all vindicated, since I only wash it every other day. In fact, I run for a half hour, and don’t bother washing my hair afterwards–it’s never been a problem for me.
And, by the way, don’t so easily dismiss 15 min. of aerobics and 15 min. of strength: the results add up, and it’s a lot more than what most people get.
When you run, do you shower afterward? Because if I shower and don’t wash my hair after working out, my head feels itchy.
I usually just delay my shower until after i’ve worked out, assuming i am planning to do so that day. (Well, unless i plan to lift, say, late at night, in which case i tend to know that i’ll delay my post-workout shower until the next day anyway.)
But if i plan a run or hike or bikeride — yeah.. i just delay.
It helps that i’m somewhat flexible in what time of day i can shower, so long as i can get one in every day.
Today i used it as incentive to go running at lunch. I really needed a shower, but i told myself i could have it after my run…