It hit me today. It's almost sundress season! March has crept up on me quicker than expected and with temperatures teasing at 60 degrees in NYC, I'm already flirting with Spring fashions. So when I woke up this weekend to warm weather, the sun shining through my window and the date March 11th starring back at me on my iPhone I knew it was time... to hit the gym with all I've got.
Unlike most, the get in shape for the New Year thing doesn't work for me. It takes ridding clothes to get me to really move. The other thing that really helps is a killer playlist. According to a Men's Health study, music helps you to block out any (good) pain in an exercise and by listening to music you love, you're distracting yourself into pushing to your max without feeling tired.
I particually love running or doing any kind of cardio to house music. I just think of dancing in the Hamptons all summer, which is definitely a distraction. Then, I like toning and lifting to hip hop. It feels more bad ass when I'm lifting weights.
Here's a sample of my club playlist:
We Found Love, Rihanna
Alright, Red Carpet
The Calling, Sebastian Ingrosso & Alesso
You Take Me Higher, Rogerseventytwo
Cry, Bingo Players
So Much Love, Fedde Le Grande
Every Teardrop is A Waterfall, Swedish House Mafia Remix
Raining, Kaskade
Release Me, Agnes & LMFAO
Where You Wanna Go, Mischa Daniels
Opera, Matts Mantra
I'm In Love, Alex Gaudino
Changes, Chris Lake
No More Tears, Lora
Fade Into Darkness, Avicii
Free Fallin', Zoe Badwi
I Will Be Here, DJ Tiesto
No Turning Back, Gui Boratto
I'm Not Alone, Calvin Harris
Eyes, Kaskade
(Note: There's a thousand mixes out there of these songs. So find the one that suits you!)
There are certain songs that completely enhance my mood and make me want to hit the gym. I love to run to house music and lift to hip hop. No matter what, I need to have something constantly on that makes me want to dance. Studies prove that the rhythmic speed of your tunes influence your athletic performance.
Fast-paced music is great for cardio (it makes sense that I like to run to house music). The best pump-it-up music should be between 120-140 beats per minute. If you really want to check to see if you’re maximizing your playlist for your workout routine, simply count the beats in the song or you can use a Windows BPM calculator.
