What’s on your playlist?

Now that you’ve made that resolution to have a fitter 2010, it’s time to lace up your trainers and get moving. A great way to get into the exercise groove is to listen to music, which will help to motivate you through our workout. Music can help you ignore the aches and pains or fatigue and also help regulate your pace. Science now tells us that songs with the right characteristics can increase our exercise performance by up to 20%. (Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology 31(1), p. 18-36 Author: Karageorghis, Costas I. et al, available through SIRC)

The article entitled “Ergogenic Tunes” (Canadian Running 2(5) July/Aug 2009, p. 30) provides a helpful chart of song selections from Rock, Pop, Soul/R&B and Classical music to help you reach a variety of exercise intensities. It’s important to find music that not only addresses your personal taste but provides lyrics and beats that match the intensity and length of your workout. Need help deciding what the right tempo is? Check out this chart which explain factors that go into selecting the appropriate beats per minute (BPM) for a variety of activities (walking, jogging, running, cycling, stairclimbers, ellipticals, and yoga/pilates).

Another way to freshen up your music is to ask your friends, colleagues and other fitness enthusiasts for their favorites. So plug in and let’s get on the move.

Here are a few of the many websites out there that provide training and exercise oriented music:
Run2Rhythm (http://www.run2r.com/)
PODRUNNER (http://www.djsteveboy.com/podrunner.html)
Motion Traxx (http://motiontraxx.com/)

Music for Motivation

Everyone has those days. It's filled with stress and things just dont’t seem to go your way. On those days it just seems more appealing to stay in your pajamas rather than working out. So why not use music as a motivational tool to get your body moving.
 
The idea that music motivates you during exercise is not new, but what is interesting is that recent studies have indicated that music can greatly increase your workout output. The greatest responses to music comes from aerobic or endurance training, for example, cycling or running. Participants were shown to workout significantly longer when exposed to motivational music than with neutral music or none at all. In these studies, it was found that most men and women responded with:

• a brighter mood/outlook
• increased motivation
• reduced feelings of pain or fatigue
• perceived level of difficulty within the workout changed 

A lot of people feel that exercise is boring, difficult or unpleasant and that’s why a great playlist can make a world of difference in your workout. Motivation can become increasingly important if you want to maintain it over an extended period of time. Obviously interest and enjoyment of the activity play a role, but when you have music that is attention grabbing and encourages you to move to the beat, things get quite a bit more fun!

Music is a major influence on society, so it is no surprise that music gets incorporated within fitness classes and every day workouts. When you have a large majority of people able to access music on their phones or mp3 players it allows for increased convenience and complete customization of individual playlists. While selecting a playlist, there are many great applications you can use to maximize your workout. Here’s a few to check out:

• isweat2thebeat.com - has a huge selection with over 70,000 songs to choose from and are all organized by bpm (beats per minute) and genre 
• On iTunes you can download the jog.fm app that plays music from your iTunes library and matches your running pace 
• Motion Traxx Radio: Workout Music for Running and Exercise is also available through iTunes. The non-stop workout mixes are designed for running, cardio, cycling, power walking and interval training. 

To sum it up, that favourite playlist of yours can help you focus, relax, and create positive feelings when you are feeling less than excited about stepping out your door, so pick up that music, get outside and move!

References from the SIRC Collection:

1. Brooks, K., & Brooks, K. (2010). Enhancing Sports Performance Through The Use Of Music. Journal Of Exercise Physiology Online, 13(2), 52-57. 
2. Elliott, D. D., Carr, S. S., & Savage, D. D. (2004). Effects of motivational music on work output and affective responses during sub-maximal cycling of a standardized perceived intensity. Journal Of Sport Behavior, 27(2), 134-147. 
3. van der Vlist, B., Bartneck, C., & Mäueler, S. (2011). moBeat: Using Interactive Music to Guide and Motivate Users During Aerobic Exercising. Applied Psychophysiology & Biofeedback, 36(2), 135-145. 
4. Workout Intensity: What's in a Playlist?. (2010). Running & FitNews, 28(5), 4-6.

Happy Holidays from SIRC!

SIRC Newsletter: Happy Holidays from SIRC
http://www.sirc.ca/newsletters/December13/index.html

It's the holiday season again and getting outside in the wintertime can be a great way for you and your family to stay active during the cold winter months. As the temperature drops and the snow falls it can be hard to resist the urge to hide inside but for intrepid adventurers winter offers up some great opportunities for active play and fitness during the holiday festivities.

SIRC has compiled articles on healthy eating over the holidays, playlists for winter workouts, fun family activities and links to some amazing Canadian winter festivals.