10 Problems Sporty Girls Will Understand

Here’s a popular one from the archives for you peeps – still as true as ever! We’d love to hear your #sportygirlproblems in the comments below or on Twitter

1. Your bedroom is perpetually in need of hoovering.

Especially if you play anything that involves wearing studded or moulded boots… Why is it so damn hard to get rid of every last bit of mud / grass / dirt? Or worst of all, these little blighters:

Whoever thought 3G pitches were a good idea has CLEARLY never spent entire weeks, post-training session, picking rubber pellets out of crevasses they hadn’t realised they had.

2. You’ve been on the receiving end of the question “Who beat you up?” more than once.

You spend your life in a constant state of ‘Battered and bruised’.

Yes, this is my leg.

Netballers = scratched up.
Hockey players = battered shins
Rugby players = stud marks. Everywhere.
Footballers = wear shin pads. Go figure.

3. Having to constantly mentally work out what you’re going to do with your bike.

You cycled into work this morning, but you have a date this evening. Do you just sack it off and leave your bike in the office overnight? But then you can’t cycle in to the office in the morning. Okay, cycle to the date. Not in your fluoro gear though. But then you can’t cycle home if you have a few drinks. Suck it up and don’t have the five G&Ts you really want? Hogwash. Bring the bike home on the train? Stick it in the back of a black cab? Really need to invest in a Brompton…

4. Owning more sports gear / yoga pants / team stash than ‘normal clothes’

You invest extortionate amounts of cash in stacks of cute, sexy, awesome gear from places like Sweaty Betty and Under Armour. You look fly at all times when working out. But you have definitely run out of room for all your jeans / work clothes / underwear. And what’s worse is that if you compete in races or tournaments, PEOPLE GIVE YOU MORE STASH FOR FREE.

5. The perpetual internal struggle that is: How long can I go without washing my hair?

You cycle to work. You have a quick shower from the neck down, blow dry the sweat into your hair and stick a bit of dry shampoo (Batiste XXL – it’s your only man!) in there for good measure.

You go for a run at lunch. Ditto.

You cycle home. Is this the right time to take the plunge? Might you go to that class at the gym you’ve been wanting to try out?

You wash your hair, begrudgingly, before bed.

But then tomorrow. Oh, tomorrow! Your mum always said you should only wash your hair every two days – do you not wash your hair at all tomorrow?? WHAT TO DO??

6. Finding skinny jeans that were designed by someone who doesn’t believe in the mythical folk-legend that is, the Thigh Gap

I cycle. I am an ex-rugby player. I have thighs. Carla Delevigne, I ain’t.

I want to wear skinny jeans just like the rest of the women of my generation in 2015.

7. Always wondering – how much protein is too much protein?

Chocolate flavoured protein powder and peanut-butter based treats are goooooooooood. Can I really justify eating my third ‘recovery’ snack of the day on the basis that it is high in protein? I cycled to work this morning. That counts. Right? Right??

8. Guys tell you “you’re a bit aggressive”

I’m not aggressive. I’m competitive. There’s a difference. OKAY???

If you’re afraid of being beaten by a girl, that says more about you than it does about me…

9. Your feet are gnarly

You’ve had your fair share of blisters, you’ve pounded pavements and pitches, your tootsies are not the manicured perfection of a teetering, preened, poodle of a woman – they are a bit gross but they serve you well and you wouldn’t have it any other way.

10. You live for the weekend

Yes, we all try and fit in our workouts around work during the week, but there is nothing better than the freedom of having all day Saturday and Sunday to get battered/bruised/sweaty/chafey/muddy/bloody/dirty/shouty/sweary/splashy/happy/sporty in whatever-which-way you see fit (fit, geddit?).