I’ve been running a lot recently (how else am I going to maintain my figure?) and I’m one of those people who must have music to run to. My personal preference recently has been running to pop punk because it’s upbeat and easy to sing along to in my head.
Working out is mostly a battle between you and your mind. It’s about working through mental barriers that are naturally present. Your mind does not want to work the body like this, it wants to conserve it’s energy as much as possible which is why I don’t have to fight it sitting on the couch like I do running a mile.
This post is essentially taking a look at some possible negative outcomes to having a “work out” playlist and ways to counter them, along with some advice I have for you.
As I said above, the battle between the mind is a lot of what makes working out hard. There’s always that voice in your head that taunts you, you’re too tired, something is wrong, you’ve gone far enough… the list goes on and on and on. How do I counter this attack of the mind? Usually with music, which is why I like running to something familiar that I can get lost in the melody, or sing along in my head. BUT there is some things you want to watch out for if you’re like me…. You might want to write this down.
Our minds like to connect certain things to experiences. Ever break up with a girlfriend/boyfriend and there’s that song or album that just always reminds you of it? Well the same thing can happen with working out. Let’s be honest, working out is not the funnest thing to do in the world… If you listen to the same songs while you work out, your mind will connect it to that horrid experience of sweat and pain to the songs on your playlist (ok maybe not that dramatic but you get the point). How to counter this? Either make your playlist very large and diverse, or get rid of it all together and just go with bands (switch it up, or the same thing will happen).
Use the music…
What I mean by that is when that song (you know what song it is) hits and you find yourself moving with the music as you run use that energy and crank it up! Crank up the speed… The whole point of working out is to work your body right? If you’ve been given the gift of energy via melody why not use it?! When that song hits, I often turn up the speed, or raise the incline (if applicable) and find the energy the song produces makes it almost easier than the previous speed or incline. And as a bonus, you’re working even harder and showing your mind who’s boss!
When push comes to shove (and it will… trust me), as you do your workouts remember it’s a battle against yourself. Next time you feel yourself saying you’re tired, you’ve gone far enough remember that’s just your mind using gorilla warefare… I suggest increasing the speed and taking a stand against the mind. Own it, and see the results… It feels good.
Until next time, thanks for reading.
August 29, 2010
Categories: Music, Working out . Tags: Music, playlists, the mind, tips, working out . Author: Nate Shealy . Comments: 1 Comment
It’s Monday, and Nate’s Mix Tape Monday has been one thing you’ve been looking forward to start the week with right?! Well I’ve recently been on a huge Aerosmith binge. Aerosmith is a very likable band by almost anyone. I’ve never really met anyone who doesn’t like Aerosmith, and if you’re going to be that one person who says Nate, I got bad news for ya, I despise Aerosmith’s greatness… Well just stop here and wait until next Monday, I’ll have something for you. In the meantime, this is Flesh by Aerosmith on their Get a Grip album. 
It's me, in text form. 