Tip #28: Match You Workout, Beat for Beat!

I do like to work out but sometimes my drive to exercise falls flat. I've gone on a stationary bike everyday for the last week. I started at a half hour Monday and Tuesday and I could hardly make it through, going just over 12 miles an hour. Suddenly, in the following days, I was pedalling over 15 mph and lasting over an hour. What made the sudden change? Jog fm.

I recently read about this workout saving device in Health magazine and I had to check it out right away. Now we all know that working out to music keeps the mind occupied and makes you exercise longer but it turns out the music you listen to helps you keeps you going as well. The first page on Jog fm has you type in how fast you want to go running, but if that's not the workout of your choice, don't be discouraged. You can also find music specifically designed for walking and biking.

Best part? You don't have to buy these all these songs, although the website does give you links to where you can do so. Thanks to an application called Spotify, you can link your accounts on Jog fm and Spotify to listen to music while you workout. You can even create your own workout playlist on Jog fm or listen to one someone else created.

An issue for me while I was exercising was that I didn't know what songs would be good for me to bike to. I usually listened to Rob Thomas and Maroon 5, so I looked the songs up on Jog fm and found that the majority of songs I listened to weren't fast enough. Most of them were less than 120 beats per minute (bpm). For biking, you should stay between 135 and 170 bpm. For running, 147 to 169 bpm. For walking, 137 to 139 bpm.

I found that the best Maroon 5 songs for me were The Sun at 160 bpm, Wake Up Call at 164 bpm and Harder to Breathe at 150 bpm and the best Rob Thomas songs were Streetcorner Symphony at 164 bpm, Little Wonders at 167 bpm and This is How a Heart Breaks at 140 bpm. These sons have come up pretty often on my Spotify account lately but my playlists aren't those alone. There's pop and rock and top 40s and '90s and '80s and '70s, whatever you like. My playlists have been a mix of everything. Thanks to Jog fm and Spotify, I've stopped getting tired and bored during my workouts and can work out without getting so bored that all I'm thinking is that I'm in so much pain I've got to stop. Now I'm thinking, "You know what? How about three more songs?"

Playlist of the Week!

Yes, I am a Glee fan and I did watch it this week so I've been listening to Latin music all week! Here's my top choices for Latin workout music!

1. Loca by Shakira

2. Dirty Dancer by Enrique Iglesias

3. Bamboloeo by Gipsy Kings

4. Pata Boom by Daddy Yankee

5. Rain Over Me by Pitbull and Marc Anthony

Workout #13: Create Your Own Circuit

Lately I've become addicted to Exercise OnDemand, which is great because if I don't have any idea what to do, someone else can tell me a new idea to try. However, I've recently discovered a little problem with that: they never change their videos! Well, maybe not never, but almost throughout the entire month, the videos stay the same and after about two weeks of the same workouts, I'm ready to try something new!

Today, I decided I was in the mode for a little circuit training so I looked on OnDemand for one, but I've done all of their circuit training videos at least five times now. Instead, I grabbed my I-pod and went on my exercise machine, Pro-Form AbGlider! I bought it like five months ago but hardly ever used it, but today I was just really in the mood to try it. I was on it for about five months until I was bored. Then a song that was really upbeat and got up from the machine and started dancing! Then the next song I got back on the machine and I ended up doing this about 10 more times. With this workout that I created on the spur of the moment, I torched over 500 calories!

So here's your challenge: The next time your bored with your workout, switch it up, crank your music up, and create a new circuit workout! It's a lot easier than you might think!

Workout Playlist of the Week!

Warm-Up: Give Me Hope- New Politics

Queen of the Scene- Hot Chelle Rae

Checkmarks- The Academy Is

Faster Ride- Cartel

Cool Down: Paper Heart- David Cook

Workout Playlist of the Week!

Warm Up: Edge of Glory- Lady Gaga

Little Lion Man- Mumford and Sons

Lose Yourself- Eminem

Grenade- Bruno Mars

Cool Down: Skyscraper- Demi Lovato

Workout Playlist of the Week!

Warm up: Give Me Hope- New Politics

Full Moon Crazy- Honor Society

Party Poison- My Chemical Romance

Stereo Hearts- Gym Class Heroes

Cool Down: Fade Into Me- David Cook

Workout Playlist of the Week!

This is a new feature I decide to put in the blog: the playlist of the week!

Thinkin' Bout Somethin' - Hanson
I Can't Get Enough - Rooney
Rich Girl$ - Down with Webster
Oh Glory - Panic! at the Disco
Can't Box Me In - Honor Society

Cool Down Song-
I Wish I Was the Moon - Neko Case

If you have any songs you want me to write, comment on the post and I'll add them next week!