Why I wear makeup to the gym.

On many women's fitness websites you'll find complaints about people who workout to look good, not as an effect of their working out but to look good while it's happening. With women who lift, it's the women who only lift the light weights to tone and with people who love cardio it's just leisurely doing the motion without putting any real effort, usually while reading a fashion magazine. These women are usually the ones wearing super coordinated stylish too short or tight outfits and a the dreaded makeup.
 Way would someone wear makeup to the gym if you're these to work and it'll just get sweat off if you're working hard enough. I have a confession, I put on makeup to go to the gym. I don't do a whole face but I do put on fresh, dark eyeliner. It's not so I can be the cutest girl at the gym and I know I am going to sweat it off during my workout because I am a budding distance runner. I love to run and anything below 3 miles just isn't that satisfying. Lifting if ok but pounding out miles is where it's at for me.

Even thought i know the long run of the week will be ok, it's still intimidating when you're starting out. Every person has had the experience of starting out, the point where you know what you're doing but are still building up quickly and know that you have so much more potential that what you do now. You go to the gym, track, piece of equipment or trails and can put out your new personal record but compared to the person next to you, it's not much.

I apply eyeliner before every run as war paint. It's to make me feel strong, powerful and maybe a bit intimidating. I don't want people to see the doubt as I start (or finish sometimes) a run, I want to pretend I'm a total bad ass already as I'm putting out the work to become one. My eyeliner might as well be a superhero mask which I can hide behind a little and go out and the bad ass I know I can be.

One day I will get over the worry I feel before the workout because it'll be part of my routine, but I'm not there yet. For me, wearing makeup  isn't a way to judge how hard I'm there to work, it's an indicator or how hard I intend to work that day.