Wednesday, April 24, 2013

press play



Fun fact: I was a long-distance runner when I was younger. I stopped running extensively and competitively in high school at the advice of trainers since I had developed chronic tendonitis in both ankles, and it had gotten to the point where I was icing every day for two hours to get the swelling to go down only to watch the swelling return the next day after a practice run. Nowadays, I settle for the elliptical (easier on the ankles), but I guess that ingrained tendency to push myself has stayed because I can't ever make myself do a "light" cardio workout. For me, either I feel as though I've pushed myself working out or it's not a workout, which is why I often don't work out at all if I feel as though I won't have the time or energy to do a "hard" workout. Bad, I know, but what can I say? Runners are gluttons for punishment, but I'm working on joining the "you either ran today or didn't" camp. It's a work in progress. Aside from good running shoes (I wear ASICS), appropriate workout gear, and a water bottle, I find music to be absolutely crucial for me when I work out. I pick songs that I like and will get me pumped up. I try to arrange my playlist so that the hardest parts of my workout correspond to an intense song. 

My current playlist (cheekily called "feel the burn"):

beginning
downtown. lady antebellum || american girl. tom petty & the heartbreakers || pumped up kicks. foster the people || give a little. hanson (don't judge, you know hanson rocks)

 middle
 how will I know. whitney houston || daylight. maroon 5 || shake it out. florence & the machine

end
 empire state of mind. jay-z feat. alicia keys || another one bites the dust. queen || blow me (one last kiss). pink || lose yourself. eminem

cool down
all this and heaven too. florence & the machine


I change my playlist every week or so, so it doesn't get boring. I usually have a ton of Beyonce on any workout playlist I make, but I just realized that I don't have a single Beyonce song on this one. ::adding 'single ladies' to playlist right now:: ;)

What's on your playlist?


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2 comments:

  1. I am surprised at the high and low cadence of your playlist, seems a lot more well thought out than most work out music. Is it timed in a way that matches with the incline of the elliptical? For me it's 80s power ballads like Eye of the Tiger, Push it to the Limit, for lifting and hard rock for running. I tried running to jazz, even rockier fusion, and it just doesn't work.

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    Replies
    1. I like to start out mellow, then build from there. I save the most intense songs for the end or smack dab in the middle, for right around the time my legs are burning and I'm cursing the elliptical to hell and back. I like fun beats and lyrics that make me pay attention and get into the song (aka to distract me from the minutes left!).

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