For A Good Workout, Great Music is Necessary

Great Music = Good Workout!
Image: Shutterstock

I don’t know about you, but for me great music can be the difference between a good and a bad workout. Going for a run is nice and all that, but with music it feels inspiring. Lifting weights (for me) is incredibly boring, but add in some intense music and I feel way more powerful.

I recently joined a yoga studio, and one of the deciding factors was that this yoga studio in particular plays great music at a healthy volume.  I’m not talking about your normal flowy yoga music. I’m talking about Radiohead, Daft Punk, and a multitude of other music. It makes me feel strong, inspired, and ready to push myself. Sit me in a hot yoga studio without music, and I’m far less excited.

Running to a great song makes me feel inspired.
Image: Shutterstock

For me, the best music to work out to falls in one of two categories: current musical obsessions (Ellie Goulding, Robyn, Lindsey Stirling) and music from my teenage years (Blink-182, Foo Fighters, Third Eye Blind). Sometimes the two categories cross over, if I still listen to the same band from back then (Radiohead, Daft Punk, Muse). And sometimes I just like some random song—this often happens with electronic music, since I don’t generally listen to that genre as a whole (I’m very picky when it comes to liking techno).

What kind of music gets you up and moving? Is it heavy metal? Hard rock? Pop? Techno? Dubstep? 90s? We all have our different musical tastes and preferences, but I’m always looking to add new tunes to my repertoire. Share your favorite tunes and artists in the comments!

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Learning To Love Your Body

One of the things women seem to have the hardest time with is loving their bodies. We beat ourselves up, always finding something to criticize or be unhappy with. I have one friend who is constantly dieting and beating herself up if she slips up and eats a cookie one day. She doesn’t need to lose weight, but she is so afraid of gaining weight that she gives herself a huge guilt trip over every little thing.

I think she’s beautiful, but she finds a million tiny things to pick apart and feel bad about.

Unfortunately, my friend is just one example. The vast majority of women are unhappy with their bodies for one reason or another. Did you know that only 4% of women around the world believe they are beautiful? I don’t know about you, but I look around me every day and I see far more beautiful people than four percent.

Do you think you are beautiful? I'm still working on it, but I'm believing myself a little more every day.

When will we free ourselves from these oppressing standards of "beauty?"
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The problem is that we are holding ourselves to unrealistic standards of beauty, and many women lack the self-confidence to believe in themselves and their beauty. 

Late last month, the New York Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center held a spring luncheon to benefit the hospital’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. The luncheon was attended by New York “it” girls like Lauren Santo Domingo, Sofía Sanchez Barrenechea, and Fabiola Beracasa and hosted a panel discussion called “Mirror, Mirror on the Wall: A Conversation About Beauty and Self Image.”

The panel conversation included Dr. Gail Saltz and Dr. Amy Wechsler. “Today’s women are under extraordinary pressure to look physically beautiful and physically young in a way that, frankly, is inconsistent with real life,” said Saltz. “And they’re supposed to look that way while being the superwoman mom who takes care of her family and has a great career.”

So how do we, as women, start treating ourselves better?

In an interview with TODAY, Saltz said it all starts with loving your body—even if it isn’t perfect (whose is?). The trick is everything in moderation. “Rather than starving and exercising like mad I advocate eating sensibly and in a healthy way,” she says, “and learning new skills that are physical, yet suit your personality.”

Essentially, everyone is different. Yes, we all should be active, but it should be in a way we enjoy—why kill yourself doing exercise you hate every day? If running isn’t your thing, try something else, like yoga, dancing, golf, tennis, rock climbing, hiking, or any number of things.

“Spend a day adding up how many minutes you spend criticizing yourself and then ask yourself if there is some other way you would rather be spending that time,” Saltz advises.

What could you do with your extra time?

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How Fit Is Your City?

The American Fitness Index yesterday released its annual report of the healthiest & fittest cities in the country. This third consecutive report lists the top 50 most populated metropolitan areas in the United States and then ranks them from most to least fit in the country. “Fitness” is based on personal factors like smoking, exercise, obesity rates, chronic health problems, and health care access. Other factors that figure in include parks and recreational facilities, walking trails, farmers’ markets, and more.

Elements of fitness.
Image: tinareale.com

Do you live in a city (most of us do)? If it’s one of the top 50 most populated, check out where you fit in. It’s interesting to see which cities tend to have more health-focused people and available facilities! Here’s the list, provided by The American Fitness Index:

1. Minneapolis-St. Paul

2. Washington, D.C.

3. Portland, Ore.

4. San Francisco

5. Denver

6. Boston

7. Sacramento

8. Seattle (YAY Seattle! Good job!)

9. Hartford, Conn.

10. San Jose

11. Austin

12. Salt Lake City

13. Cincinnati

14. San Diego

15. Raleigh, N.C.

16. Pittsburgh

17. Baltimore

18. Virginia Beach

19. Cleveland

20. Richmond, Va.

21. Atlanta

22. Providence

23. Buffalo

24. New York City

25. Philadelphia

26. Milwaukee

27. Chicago

28. Kansas City, Mo.

29. Los Angeles

30. Columbus, Ohio

31. St. Louis

32. Nashville

33. Phoenix

34. Orlando

35. Riverside, Calif.

36. Charlotte

37. Jacksonville

38. New Orleans

39. Las Vegas

40. Tampa

41. Birmingham, Ala.

42. Miami

43. Houston

44. Dallas

45. Indianapolis

46. Memphis

47. Louisville

48. San Antonio

49. Detroit

50. Oklahoma City

Here's the list in map form (also from AFI):

Walt Thompson is a professor of exercise and physiology at Georgia State University and creator of the index. He praised Minneapolis, saying, “What Minneapolis has done brilliantly is put their resources where residents can use them effectively to maintain a high level of physical activity.”

“We really believe that if people don’t have the environment to exercise, they probably won’t,” he added.

Minneapolis spent about $227 per capita on parks, which is about double that of some cities on the list. It also had lower rates of smoking and death from heart disease. Thompson recommends that less fit cities take simple steps to improve overall city health, like implementing smoking bans in public places and requiring P.E. for kids throughout high school. 

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Working (out) For the Weekend

I have a confession to make: I’m a weekend workout wimp. Generally, one of two things will happen over the weekend. One, I get “too busy” to work out, having made lots of plans. Or two, I am so ready for a break by the time the weekend hits that I decide to be as lazy as possible.

I have been better about finding a nice balance between the two lately, but I’m still working on it. It’s like I use up all my productivity during the week and have nothing left by the time Friday hits. Does that ever happen to you? I am not trying to make excuses for skipping out on exercise during the weekends, but rather I’m trying to be honest about what’s really going on. And I’m hoping that by writing about it, I will be able to hold myself more accountable.

So today, in an effort to both motivate myself and others to keep on exercising during the weekend, I’m posting a few quick and (almost) painless workouts. Each one takes just a few minutes to complete and doesn’t require any special equipment. My plan is to try at least one of them out over the weekend, and I’m hoping some of you will, too. Who’s up for a challenge? If you are, then keep on reading!

Workout #1: “No Excuses” (found at Daily Spark)

1. :60 Chop Squats
2. :30 Charlie’s Angel Lunges (each side)
3. :30 Kneeling Crunches
4. :60 Push-Up Planks
5. :60 Rise ‘n Raises
6. :60 Triceps Presses

Workout #2: “Easy Abs” (found at Back On Pointe)

1. 20 Crunches
2. :15 Plank
3. 10 Mountain Climbers
4. :15 Plank
5. :10 Side Plank (ugh, I hate these!)
6. 10 Vertical Leg Crunches
7. 20 Bicycles (try subbing flutter kicks if these bother your hips)
8. 30 Scissor Kicks
9. :15 plank

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Fitness Apps to Test Run

Use technology to stay active with these exercise apps.
Image: greatist.com

It seems that everywhere you look, people have smartphones. From professionals to teenagers, many of us are “plugged in” to technology more often than not. And while this can sometimes be detrimental to staying active and fit, there are also some great apps that are actually meant to help keep you exercising on a regular basis. If you’re looking for a source of motivation and have a smartphone, check out these apps:

MapMyRundoes exactly what the title denotes: it maps your run using GPS. Not only that, but it also tells you your speed, total distance, time, elevation change, and overall calories burned. All your runs are saved, so you can look back at anytime to track your progress. The creators of this app have also created other apps for cycling, hiking, walking, dog walking, and more. Best of all: it’s free!

Nike Training Cluboffers a variety of training activities, from cardio to weight lifting. It has over 90 custom and comprehensive workouts and allows you to set goals like “Get Lean,” “Get Strong” or “Get Toned.” After that, you just select your fitness level and the app will create several workouts from 30-45 minutes long. Each exercise comes with photos, step-by-step instructions, or a video. You can even play music from your phone at the same time as you are completing your circuit training workouts. Oh, and this one is free, too. What’s not to like?

Need motivation? Try "Zombies, Run!"
Image: Wired

Zombies, Run!might just be the best idea for a running app. Ever. Seriously, who wouldn’t be motivated to run faster and farther when threatened with zombies? The clever integration of a game-like concept (zombies attack, you must save humanity) into a fitness app makes working out more exciting and fun, and I can’t help but love it. For beginners, the app costs $1.99 and for the deluxe edition, it costs $3.99.

Fitness Buddyis for those who want to build muscle and strength. The paid version, which costs $0.99 includes more than 1,700 exercises, 1,000 HD photos, and more than 45 full-length workouts. The free version offers 300 exercises and dozens of workouts to explore before deciding whether or not to purchase the app. The workouts featured utilize several types of gym equipment such as kettlebells and resistance bands, making it the perfect gym companion. Like MapMyRun, Fitness Buddy allows you to track your progress over time, making it even more valuable.

Which fitness apps have you tried at home? I have RunKeeper on my phone at home, but I haven’t decided how I feel about it yet. I enjoy being able to track how far I’ve run, what my pace is, calories I’ve burned and everything else. It feels a little like a prize at the end of a long workout—something I can hold up and say, “Look what I accomplished!” Certainly, fitness apps are not for everyone, but for those who have a hard time getting motivated or coming up with workouts, they could be incredibly helpful.

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