Are you the type of person who can jump on that treadmill and run for an hour with only your thoughts?! Hearing the banging of your feet against the treadmill and the motor rolling…well for most, this does not exactly make for a very peaceful run.
So if you’re like most runners’ you are probably blaring your speakers or have headphones keeping you company. Yet besides drowning out the sound of your feet banging on the treadmill, how important is your workout music?! Apparently more important than some give their playlist credit for.
Music apparently has been shown to actually be able to make or break ones workout. Some experts say that if you listen to the proper music while exercising it can boost your mood which can then in turn give you more energy to kick your workout up a notch and burn more calories.
According to this article on FoxNews.com, Archer who is a spokeswoman for the American Council on Exercise states, “A number of studies show that music can impact mood, emotions, energy levels, even breathing and heart rates.” She believes music can not only power us through our workouts, but it can distract them from other negative feelings people sometimes feel when working out such as boredom, fatigue and discomfort.
Here are some benefits of listening to music during your workouts from an article I found on Lifemojo.com:
- Music can distract a person’s attention from their repetitive workout, this causes them to not think so much about the feeling of boredom, fatigue, or exhaustion.
- Because the exercisers attention is drawn from the workout itself and instead focused on the music, it has been shown that music can reduce the factors contributing to pain, tension, anxiety and discomfort.
- Music can act as a sort of stimulant to increase your performance. One’s heart rate and breathing rate are increased from listening to music, this can help intensify your workout.
- Listening to music often promotes a positive mood in people, helping to avoid any kind of negative thoughts.
- Fast stimulating music has been shown to increase muscle tension and increase physical strength during a workout. Yet slow sedative music has been shown to do the opposite, so make sure to have a fast bumping jam.
- You are natural inclined to want to move your body to the rhythm of the music, thus increase your levels of output and increasing your calorie burn.
- It can make each workout more interesting and fun when you get to groove to the music!
So as you can see, listening to music during your workouts has shown to have quite a number of benefits to your workout itself. It’s no wonder so many treadmills, such as the NordicTrack T5.5, come equipped with speakers and iPod adapters!
Check out sites such as RockMyRun.com, Jog.fm, and 8Tracks.com workout genre to help you find the perfect tunes to help you power through your workouts!
Written By: Jentry
