Can your playlist help you lose weight?
I don’t know about you, but I simply cannot work out without my tunes. If I show up to the gym and I don’t have my headphones, I have literally gone to buy some before I can get started. For a long time, I thought that was just because of how much I love music ( and maybe because I am kind of weird) but as it turns out, listening to music or watching something distracting can actually improve a workout.
Listening to music provides psychological pleasure and can have immense positive effects that include altering your mood, increasing arousal, and encouraging movement. When paired with exercise, these positive benefits can function to increase work output and ultimately increase caloric output or strength performance during a workout. When exercising, listening to music can decrease perceived tiredness, and increase performance, endurance, strength, and power. Research studies on the effects of music on physical activity have shown when comparing participants who listened to music and participants who did not found that maximum heart rate was increased in the entire group of participants who listened to music during activity. Additionally, the duration of activity was increased in research participants when listening to music.
“Music touches us emotionally, where words alone can’t.”
So how does this happen? Music influences emotions through a process referred to as emotional contagion. Emotional contagion is a phenomenon that causes a person to experience the emotions of the music we hear. Sad music can make you sad, inspirational music can make you feel motivated and upbeat music can make you feel happy and excited. The emotions induced by music affect behavior, emotions, and in the cases of high tempo, high energy music, secretion of hormones such as serotonin, the brain chemical that promotes healing and reduces depression and anxiety.
So how do we choose the right playlist to get us revved up? Research has shown that the best music to improve performance depends on the desired activity, but ultimately should be able to influence your emotions toward motivation, high energy, and motivation.
Some hard and fast rules are as follows:
If you want to increase your distance or endurance in a cardio workout: choose fast-paced music that helps you endure increased distance before feeling tired.
If you want to increase your performance in a strength training workout: choose music that makes you feel strong, tough, brave or strong.
If you want to improve your performance in a yoga or flexibility workout: choose music that has a slower tempo and makes you feel mentally and physically relaxed.
A great example of a playlist I am currently listening to that works for both cardio and strength training:
“Music can change the world because it can change people.”
What kind of music do you like to listen to when working out? Do you have a playlist you prefer for cardio and a different playlist for strength training? Comment below.
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The information in this post is for informational or educational purposes only and does not substitute professional medical advice or consultations with healthcare professionals. Always consult with healthcare professionals to create a personalized plan that aligns with both your health needs and weight goals.