Let me start off by saying that I am a novice runner. I’ve done a handful of races – mostly 5Ks and 8Ks, one 10K and one memorable half marathon. I’m a slow runner, one that is making her way back from a pretty severe injury – I tore my calf muscle almost in half in February and wore a boot for 14 weeks. So I’m laboriously working my way back up with intervals, that red-headed stepchild of running. One thing that helps me, keeps me going and pounding, pushing and struggling is my music.
We all use them – “I’m tired.” “I’m sore.” “I don’t have time.” – and the worst of all, “I deserve a break.” We all use excuses to not go to the gym, to not workout, and to not be healthy. But why? One reason may be that workouts can be boring, tedious, and down right dreadful. Well, from personal experience, workouts can be all of those things, but they don’t have to be.
When you start feeling the gym blues, it may be time to shake things up. Changing your workout routine has a few benefits.
The world was shocked nearly two weeks ago to learn of Michael Jackson’s passing. He was and will always be a legend and his music and dancing will live on forever. I live in L.A. and have heard hundreds of different stories that lead to his death; a couple of which are related to anorexia and exercising with his trainer, Lou Ferrigno, for six hours or more a day in preparation for his upcoming tour.
I was working at my penthouse gym in Beverly Hills the day he passed away and it seemed like the entire L.A. area shut down in disbelief. Word is that Michael had dropped to around 100 pounds, which is a sickly weight for a male, at the time of his death. (For his height of 5′ 10″ at 100 pounds, Michael’s BMI would have been about 14, dangerously underweight.) While the world mourns, Michael’s music is becoming more and more popular today.
Everyone should have a steady diet of fruits, vegetables, and music. That’s right, music is good for the soul, and the rest of your body. Authors of the latest study on music’s health benefits claim that the best type is opera, which may help particularly with stroke rehabilitation.
Researchers tested various combinations of music with silence on volunteers and found that songs that emphasized alternating between fast and slow tempos were most effective in improving circulation and heart health.
“We have seen enormous benefits in people who have had strokes or heart attacks. The power of music is just incredible,” says Diana Greenman, chief executive of Music in Hospitals, a UK-based charity that provides live music to hospital patients.
Jason, Matt, and I have all blogged about the importance of music to our workouts. There has been a lot of research about the effect of music on mood and even matching tempo to heart rate. There also appears to be a magic number for volume; Spinal Tap had it right all along.
Dr. Neil Todd and his team has been cited extensively on their research regarding the sacculus, an organ in the inner ear that helps regulate balance. The sacculus is attached to the hypothalamus by the vestibular nerve. The hypothalamus is the part of the brain that helps regulate appetite, libido, temperature, anger, and fatigue. They report that this connection could explain the rush that many feel when their balance is effected through carnival rides, bungee jumping, or even swinging as a child.
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