Buns, Ponytails, and Hairspray... Oh My!

Hey girls and -possibly- guys!

Sorry I haven't posted in a while, I was hoping life would slow down for me during winter break. No such luck. Anyways, one day 'till school and here I am, sitting with time on my hands, ready to give my readers a brand-new post! Hooray! (better late than never... am I right?)

Anyhow, I had my second "real" meet just yesterday. At my gym, all the girls on my team have to wear a high bun that is smashed into our heads with absolutely NO hair falling out. After we do that, it is a requirement for us to spray so much hairspray onto our doo so that our hair feels like styled barbie-doll hair.

Even with that much hairspray and even bobby pins, reaching towards seamless security, it still seems that our hairdoos are not good enough. At our meet, I couldn't help but noticing about half of the girls on our team had hair bob up and down and up and down and- well, you get the picture. This made me wonder if it is really worth it to put so much stuff in your hair in the first place. Sure, it looks nice at first, and it is harder for the hair to get in your face, but I'm sure that buns are not the only hairdoo that can do that for you. Not to mention the fact that all the hairspray caked onto our head can lead to other problems with dryness of the scalp and hair. 

With this question I ventured into the internet. What I found was not totally shocking. There are actually a few web-articles about different ways for gymnasts to do their hair. There are even some websites (like this one http://www.livestrong.com/article/549267-the-best-ways-to-do-a-gymnasts-hair/) that give different hairstyles for different lengths of hair and even different looks, like sleek or fun. It turns out that there are many different hairstyles to choose from. If you are still set on your bun, I'm sorry to say that I couldn't find any other ways to do it other than the recommended, gel it and spray it. There's still hope though because I learned that you don't actually have to worry about the whole dry scalp as long as you wash your hair as soon as you can and you don't wear the spray too often. I also found that there are actually specific ways to spray hairspray to get the most out of your product. For instance, you should start by looking at what the bottle of spray says it's for. For more secure doo's, look for bottles that say ultra-strong hold or something along those lines. 

What doo's are you going to try for your next meet/event? Let me know in the comments!

Doo on my fashionable internet gymnasts!

~Joanna

P.S. How am I doing? Comment \/\/\/

P.P.S. Hairspray facts found at http://www.schwarzkopf.com/sk/en/home/hair_repair/tips_and_tricks/styling_tricks/how_to_use_hair_spray_properly.html and http://www.skin-remedies.com/hair-products.html

Hydration. Hydration, hydration, hydration... You should be taking notes.

(beautiful edit by me :3)

Hi everyone!

For today's post, I'm going to look into the problem of dehydration during practices. As it turns out, drinking is a sort of a science when it comes to workouts. I found whole websites telling me what to drink, how much to drink, and even when to drink it for the optimal performance. Anyways, here's what I've learned!

Water Tip #1: Drink regular water!
They suggested straight water, not Vitamin Water or Gatorade for a post-workout drink like I was told by others. Even though after a workout you may want to grab for that yummy dragon-fruit drink to re-hydrate and re-energize, the better option may actually be water. Water is vital for maintaining things like body temperature and chemical reactions.

Water Tip #2: Drink electrolytes!
Practicing less than 45 minutes may point you to water, but if you are working out for more than 45 minutes, the suggestion still stands. The electrolytes in low sugar energy drinks can help replace the ones lost when sweating and fueling muscles.

Water Tip #3: Thirst is NOT an indicator.
You really need to remember that thirst alone is not a good indicator of how much you need to drink. This is because thirst can be quenched by small amounts of liquid. In addition to that, once you are thirsty, you are already well on your way to dehydration.

Water Tip #4: Drink A LOT.
I read that for every 10 to 20 minutes of a workout, you should drink eight ounces of water. For a four hour practice like I have, that adds up to about 280 oz or 6.5 bottles of water. To me, that sounds like a huge amount. (I've got some more water to drink...) Never fear though! People with shorter practices do not necessarily need that much water.

Representation of 280 oz or one gallon in 20 oz bottles.

Water Tip #5: Make it happen!!
Just thinking about drinking something really doesn't work. Trust me, I've tried. Make an effort to actually drink during practice, even if your lockers or the water fountain are way over there. Drinking can do a wonders for the athlete! That is, as long as they do it. :)


Quench on my possibly dehydrated internet gymnasts!
~Joanna





p.s. information from http://goaskalice.columbia.edu/best-thing-drink-workout-after