I set my alarm for bright and early o’ clock this Sunday morning with the clear intention of going for a jog before church. First, let me say even setting the alarm was no easy feat. I am NOT a morning person by any means, nor am I a fitness junkie. Needless to say, when I awoke to hear the pitter patter of raindrops against my window the urge to roll over and hug my pillow tighter grew stronger. I thought to myself, “Oh yes this is the best sleep - that woke-up-with-no-where-you-have-to-be-so-just-roll-over-and-listen-to-nature’s-lullaby type of sleep…” Then the war began. The side of me that knew I’d have no time to workout later said, “Get up and hit the pavement.”
And the funniest thing happened.
The other side of me, the side that yearned to pull the covers over my head tried a funny line: “But you’ll get your hair wet!”
Wrong answer subconscious!
See…one of my favorite things about being natural, second only to the beauty of my curls, is that I’ve conquered my fear of water. Yes, water. The life source - yea - that stuff. Back when I was relaxed, rain threw me into a tizzy. The idea of poofed up, stringy, sort of curly, sort of straight hair kept me indoors on plenty a rainy day.
Even more importantly, I planned my (sporadic) workouts around my hair. My scalp gets pretty sweaty when I exercise. Anyone who’s ever had a relaxer knows that is no bueno for your freshly straightened strands.
Problem is that we are dying for our hair.
According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, African-American women have the highest rates of being overweight or obese compared to other groups in the United States. About four out of five Black women are overweight or obese. I’m not naive enough to believe that it is the only factor, but I am left wondering how many more of use choose our ‘do over our cardiovascular health, how many of us choose our look over our life.
Being kinky n’ free has allowed me to explore the outer limits of what my body can do. I will not succumb to lifestyle diseases to meet a standard of beauty that I did not set for myself.
Sunday I decided I will run in the rain, and I will never stop.
Riss
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