Need a piece of exercise equipment that will increase your endurance and help you have more fun while working out? Look no further than a CD or MP3 player. Experts say music can get you to move longer, sweat more and have a better time doing it.
"Music is a huge motivator and can help keep the mind off the hard stuff it is trying to accomplish during a workout," said certified personal trainer Devin Gongora of Ogden.
In an article published for the United States Sports Academy at www.thesportjournal.com, Costas Karageorghis said music can put you "in the zone" during a workout.
"(Music helps) the mind and body function on autopilot with minimal conscious effort," he said, emphasizing that those in the zone enjoy the activity more, stick with the exercise longer and feel less tired.
"I found that the right music can have a very positive impact on sport and exercise performance. ... During repetitive exercise such as running, music can narrow a performer's attention away from sensations of fatigue. This is a technique which many marathon runners and triathletes refer to as dissociation or focusing on a stimuli unrelated to the task," Karageorghis said.
"Music is often an untapped source of both motivation and inspiration for sport and exercise participants."
Utah State University employee wellness specialist Dayna Barrett said studies show people work out longer or at a greater intensity when they listen to music.
Mood-changer
In another story for the sports academy, Karageorghis and David-Lee Priest said music not only diverts the mind, but also brings about feelings of vigor and happiness and relieves tension, depression and anger.
"(Music) makes hard training seem more like fun, by shaping how the mind interprets symptoms of fatigue," they said.
Weber State University health promotions professor Myron Davis said athletes use music to bring about desired emotions -- either to calm down or pump themselves up before an event.
"Music does change mood. At one extreme, you can use it to relax or to get motivated," he said.
Pacing
In an article posted at selfgrowth.com, James Sundquist of the Medical and Sports Music Institute of America said the tempo of the song can help bring a desired heart rate or pace.
Music can be used to pace a swimmer, walker, jogger, runner or cyclist, Sundquist says.
For example, a swimmer can choose a song with beats per minute that match the desired stroke per minute. For cyclists, two footfalls is one revolution per minute, so a song's bpm should be double the desired rpm.
For an average stride, 140 steps per minute equals a 15-minute mile, 150 steps per minute is a 10-11 minute mile, 170 steps is an 8-minute mile, 180 steps is a 7-minute mile and 190 steps is a 5-6 minute mile, so correlating the bpm of music to a desired pace and generating a footfall on every beat can help a walker, jogger or runner achieve their time goals.
Sundquist said making a playlist of songs with various speeds can also be an effective way to work out.
"Interestingly, many people are exercising at different paces on different days or time frames, using all of the paces. This is because they have three goals in mind: weight loss, aerobic conditioning and increased endurance and speed," Sundquist said, "Combining paces in a workout is known as interval training and is an excellent way to accelerate your health and fitness conditioning."
Locals' Playlist
Tunes local women love to sweat to:
"3," Britney Spears -- Estee Schmidt, Roy
"Beat It," Michael Jackson -- Rozanna Powell, North Ogden
"Gold Digger," Kanye West -- Rosa Murphy, Roy
"I Gotta Feeling," Black Eyed Peas -- Debbie King, North Ogden
"Let's Get It Started," Black Eyed Peas -- Christa Larsen, Ogden
"Rock of Ages," Def Leppard -- Rickell Walters, Harrisville
"Supermassive Black Hole," Muse ¬Â-- Heather Simpson, Pleasant View
"The Cup of Life," Ricky Martin -- Amy Morris, North Ogden
"Whip It," Devo -- Megan Smith, West Haven
"Woman," Wolfmother ¬Â-- Taryn Huss, Roy
"Working in the Coalmine," Allen Toussaint -- Yvonne Bouwhuis, West Haven
