I’ll admit it. I’m a fair weather fan of, well, weather. When it’s warm and sunny I love to get outside and exercise. But in the winter, when it’s cold, wet, icy and often dark, I prefer to take my workouts indoors.
When I’m at the gym I no longer have the beauty of nature to entertain myself as I run, so I have turned to music. I bought an mp3 player in my favorite color (orange, of course!) and taught myself how to make playlists of various songs that keep me going during my workouts.
And I’m not the only one at the gym who does this – I see almost everyone listening to music while they sweat. All of the group classes I have attended also feature music over the speakers. After doing some homework, I found out why music and exercise often go hand in hand.
According to a study published in the Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, certain music can prolong endurance-based exercise by 15%! On top of that, listening to music can also help exercisers’ evoke greater feelings of pleasure from their workouts.
I also found that working out to music provides distraction and dissociates your mind from the unpleasant feelings of fatigue to feelings of enjoyment and pleasure. And, depending on the music you choose, it can also help you keep your rhythm when participating in an activity that relies on a cadence (think walking, running, biking).
This is great news simply because of the potential impact this could have on inactivity and obesity. If people can derive more joy from exercising simply by adding music, they will be more inclined to stick with an exercise program and therefore more likely to maintain a healthy weight.
So what should you look for when choosing music to exercise to? That depends on the type of exercise you have planned. For those people walking 3 miles per hour (20 minute mile), songs with 115 -118 beats per minute are best. If you walk at a faster pace, say a 13 minute mile, you should choose songs with a tempo between 137-139 beats per minute, and for those who like to run or do aerobics, music with 147-160 beats per minute will help keep you going during your workout.
Here is an example of a playlist I use for a quick running workout:
Warm up:
Jump by Van Halen (133 bpm)
Workout:
Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen (150 bpm)
Brown Eyed Girl by Van Morrison (150 bpm)
Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go by Wham (153 bpm)
Rebel Yell by Billy Idol (160 bpm)
Running Down a Dream by Tom Petty (170 bpm)
Footloose by Kenny Loggins (165 bpm)
Cool down:
Gonna Fly Now (from Rocky!) by Bill Conti (95 bpm)
If you decide to exercise outside, please exercise caution when listening to music. To keep yourself safe, your music should be at a volume low enough so you can still hear cars, people and pets around you.
Need ideas for more songs and playlists? Check out this website: thebestsongs.net. Not only does it have great song ideas but it also has songs’ estimated tempos so you can choose the right music for your workout!
Do you listen to music when exercising? What are some of your favorite songs to workout to?
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