Your muffin top or apple belly, may be your reason to get moving, but a great music playlist is an ideal motivator to keep you moving. Research indicates a music playlist that matches the rhythm of your workout is an excellent stimulus to make your workout feel easier and encourages you to work harder without realizing you are.
Music tempo and volume can contribute to a good workout, but how the music makes you feel is the most important aspect of a great playlist. The more you’re able to lose yourself in the music and disconnect from the unpleasant feelings of an activity, the more pleasant it becomes.
When selecting songs for your playlist, make sure the tunes match your activity. Softer music for those stretches and cool down periods and upbeat, jamming music for that cardio time.
Researchers have identified that slower music during stretching decreases your anxiety to the upcoming workout by providing a distraction. Several studies have also identified that listening to slower music helps your body return to a resting heart rate faster after your workout, making your cool down time shorter.
Upbeat music during your cardio workout provides and elevates your mood allowing you to work out longer. Keeping pace with the tempo improves your effort and puts you in the grove.
The cadence of a song and your ability to move with the music can also highly effect your workout session. The website center4research.org reports of studies that show “to achieve the best performance for cycling the preferred tempo is between 125 and 140 beats per minute (bpm) and the best music tempo for enhance performance on the treadmill is between 123 and 131 bpm.” Research also indicates songs with 120 bpm are the most popular tempo for workouts, and songs above 145 bpm are too fast causing the stress of the workout to overcome the pleasure of the music.
The website exerciseright.com provides the following songs with their respective bpm’s. Pick a few and get moving!
Whitney Houston – I Wanna Dance with Somebody (118 bpm)
Michael Jackson – Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough (119 bpm)
Lady GaGa — Poker Face (119 bpm)
Bon Jovi — It’s My Life (120 bpm)
Aretha Franklin — Respect (120 bpm)
Nirvana — Come As You Are (120 bpm)
Young MC — Bust A Move (120 bpm)
Fleetwood Mac— Dreams (121 bpm)
The Offspring — Pretty Fly (143 bpm)
Robert Palmer — Simply Irresistible (143 bpm)
Ricky Martin — She Bangs (144 bpm)
Soft Cell — Tainted Love/Where Did Our Love Go? (143 bpm)
Marrianne Ryno has been a pharmacist with Hy-Vee since thy opened the pharmacy in 2007. She has two girls living out their dreams in different parts of the country, but she loves Jefferson City where she does DIY projects and takes care of her hobby farm. She currently is the secretary/treasurer for the City of Jefferson Environmental Quality Committee.