For the next few weeks every Monday, I’ll share a playlist of songs that I have in my Workout Playlist on my iPhone. I’ll include clips to listen to, where you can buy them and why I have them in my list. Just so you know, I do get a portion of the sales of these songs from Amazon, so if you buy them, you’re helping me out.
You Can Always Be Number One (Sport Goofy Anthem) by Disney’s Splashdance: I talked about this song before, but right now this is the song that is number one on my playlist. I listen to it EVERY time I exercise because it keeps me from getting discouraged when I can’t do as much as I’d like. You can read more about it here: Starling Fitness » You Can Always Be Number One.
Bodyrock by Moby: This song has a strong beat, so it’s easy to run to. There aren’t many lyrics, but they get you moving, “Rock ya’all, no stop ya’ll, to the beat ya’all, the bodyrock ya’ll.”
Harder Better Faster Stronger by Daft Punk: I’ve talked about this song TWICE before: Starling Fitness » Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger and Starling Fitness » Hard Body Videos for Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger. This song was my powersong for a LONG time, so seeing it in my workout list is a no-brainer.
Move Any Mountain by The Shamen: This song is from a little-known band in the early Nineties that I have loved for a long time. It has a great beat to run to and with lyrics like, “I will not fail nor falter, I shall succeed. My perception is altered I do believe. Faith is so strong now nothing shall bar my way.” Ignore the white-guy rapping, and it’s a perfect song.
Work Hard by Depeche Mode: “You’ve got to work hard if you want anything at all.” With a message like that, it’s a wonder that this song isn’t my powersong.
Objects In The Mirror by SkinnySongs: I’ve talked about this album of songs TWICE before: Starling Fitness » SkinnySongs: Inspirational Music For Your Workouts and Starling Fitness » Redbook Finally Notices Skinny Songs. If you have trouble getting into the gym to exercise, this song will be your theme song.
Stronger by Britney Spears: It has become the sport of the media to make fun of Britney Spears, but they have forgotten why they noticed her in the first place. I love this song. Not only does the beat keep my feet moving on the treadmill, but the lyrics remind me that I’m stronger than I remember and I can keep going.
Work That Body by Rupaul: Rupaul has a television show called Drag Race and he’s riding high, but he has been around for a LONG time. I love this song from his album, Foxy Lady. It sounds very disco, but all that counting with the voices singing “Reach, Stretch, Push, Up” really keeps me going.
Everything You Know Is Wrong by Weird Al Yankovic: This song is kind of silly and verses sing about everything EXCEPT working out (unless you count the Almighty running past your room in heaven). The chorus, however, reminds me that sometimes I believe things that aren’t true. If I’m feeling like I can’t finish my workout, listening to this song is really good at showing me that I might be wrong.
Listen to the clips for these songs. If you find just one song this week that motivates you to exercise, then buy it and make it your powersong when you’re working out this week. I bet you’ll find that you’re more willing to get your butt to the gym and your workouts are easier.
This video is an incredibly inspiring story about David Elmore Smith’s weight loss of 401 pounds from ABC’s 20/20. The best part is that he lost it by eating well and exercising, NOT with weight loss surgery, although he DID have surgery to remove the extra skin.
I love how Chris Powell, his trainer, said, “Don’t give up on me and I won’t give up on you.”
That is how we should all look at this. If we don’t give up on ourselves, our loved ones won’t give up on us.
This is an excellent TED Talk from Dan Buettner about how to live longer. It’s a little long at nearly twenty minutes, but it will tell you a lot about living longer.
Myths About Longevity:
The best science tells us that the capacity of the human body is about 90 years, but life expectancy is only 78. Somewhere through here, we are leaving 12 years on the table. The best way to getting these missing years is to look at the cultures where the life expectancy is longer.
After reviewing the “Blue Zones” for longevity, they created this advice:
When it comes to longevity, there is no short term fix. Your friends can be the biggest factor to adding more years to your life and more life to your years.
Fitness Magazine provided me with a complimentary subscription in exchange for a monthly review of their magazine.
January’s issue showed up in my mailbox almost a month ago, but the only article that has really stuck with me was The FITNESS Top 100 Workout Songs of 2009. It was a great article showcasing the songs that are great for working out that came out last year. It reminded me that I haven’t shared my workout playlists with you.
I’ve been gathering songs that really inspire me to work out for years. I’ve talked about a few of them here and there, but I’ve never shared my playlists with you, so I’ll be doing that over the next few weeks.
For now, click on over to Fitness Magazine’s Top 100 Workout Songs of 2009 and find some motivation to get on treadmill!
“My Nike+ is dead.” Mike was trying to start his workout, but the iPhone couldn’t find his sensor. It just sat there, spinning it’s wheel and searching helplessly.
“I’m going downtown tomorrow. I’ll pick you up a new sensor.”
So I did, but the next day when he tried to start his workout, it sat spinning again.
“Maybe you should reboot.”
When he turned off his iPhone and turned it back on, it worked just fine with his old sensor. “I guess we didn’t need to buy a new one.”
This happened to me just yesterday, but because it had happened to Mike last month, I knew what to do. Before you assume your Nike+ sensor is dead, try rebooting your iPhone. It might save you twenty bucks.
Michelle Aguilar was the winner of The Biggest Loser back in 2008. You can read about it here:
I’m not a religious person, so this little video clip really had the potential to just turn me off. Depending on your tolerance for God Talk, this may or may not be inspiring to you.
The idea of giving your problems over to a higher power has been incredibly motivating to many people. I never write about that aspect of motivation because it just doesn’t work for me, but that doesn’t mean it won’t work for you. If you are having trouble staying with your eating and exercise program, try having a heart to heart talk with your preferred deity and see if that helps you hold on for one more day.
I rarely shop at Old Navy, but I saw these advertisements in their store windows and they just made me smile. The ads are made up to look like Lost Dog signs, except what you lost was your flabby body.
This was the first sign I saw and I love how they used Jello to represent Jiggle.
Muffin Top is a recent phrase in my vocabulary. If it’s new to you as well, it means the fat that can spill out the top of jeans.
Losing your spare tire would be a bad thing on a car, but a very good thing when you’re exercising.
Despite what Old Navy is trying to convince you, there are no magic clothes that will make you lose weight, but having a new exercising outfit is sometimes enough to get me on the treadmill. I really liked these t-shirts because they entice me to do a little more.
If these posters or clothes entice you to exercise, then Old Navy HAS helped you to lose your couch potato, jiggle, muffin top or spare tire. Get up and do a workout now because the motivation is free!
While I was in Las Vegas, I visited the Nike store to see if they had some comfortable shoes for me. I did buy some cute Nike+ shoes, but they had a big advertising campaign with the slogan,
Run into the dark of the night.
I thought that maybe Nike was selling shoes that light up so people can see you running in the dark, but that was wishful thinking.
They did have a jacket for $250 that had a rechargeable pack that lit up, however.
Here is the description from Nike:
Make your presence known when running at night or in other low-light conditions with the Nike Distance Light Running Jacket. This lightweight, flexible and washable (when control unit is removed) layer features electroluminescent (EL) panels on the front and back to help others on the road see you.
EL light provides visibility from multiple angles, and the blue-green variety used in these panels is less likely than red or white light to compete with other lights along roadways, helping you stand out. The panels in the Distance Light Jacket are activated by a small control unit in the front pocket and flash in a heart-beat pulse pattern that switches to a strobe pattern to indicate that charging is needed in the next two hours.
Considering that this TerraLUX FlareStar30 Light runs for 50 hours on 2 AA batteries, can be attached to ANY jacket AND only costs about twelve bucks, spending $250 on a Nike jacket that lights up seems a little silly.
It’s so cold in Salt Lake City right now that the idea of running outside at night sounds miserable, but if you have to do your workouts in the dark, the TerraLUX LED lights sound like a much better option.
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