Five Ways Music Improves Your Workout

Friday, January 13, 2023

1. Music serves as a motivator. Music makes you want to move. Tapping your feet, dancing, or bobbing your head to the beat increases your efforts, encourages you to push past limits, and dictates maintenance of speed or increases in speed. The body has an easier time following beats than thoughts or even hearing your own breathing.
2. Music can elevate your mood. Music releases endorphins just like exercise does. Endorphins are those feel-good chemicals that your body releases when you exercise. Music can also release everyday life stressors and get the brain and body moving in a positive direction.
3. Music helps your pace and consistency. Music creates a response where people will automatically hook into the beat with their movements. Imagine jogging and a fast upbeat song comes on. Your body will want to move with it. This will also help you keep pace and work more efficiently.
4. Music can make you exercise harder. Music can help you push through fatigue and motivate you just to get started. We’ve all had those days where it’s a struggle to get going with your workout. Sometimes putting on a couple of “hype” tracks can help. 
5. Music can serve as a distraction. Music can be a distraction from fatigue and elapsed time of working out. If you ever find yourself on a stair climber or elliptical staring at the clock to make sure you hit that 20 or 30-minute mark, try some solid tunes to keep you distracted and moving.

So how do you put a motivating playlist together? Start with choosing your favorite type of upbeat music. Then throw in some old-school tracks from your younger days. Add some songs with positive lyrics. Shoot to have about two hours of music for your playlist just in case you skip some songs.

- Bake McBride