The Importance of Music & Movement
Workout music and playlists are now more popular than ever - although "Let's Get Physical" came out in 1981, there is a whole genre now dedicated to the hour+ people spend in the gym or in fitness class.
Particularly over the last decade, psychologists have been studying why exercise and music are such an effective pairing for so many people.
In their findings, they found that music actually distracts people from pain and fatigue, elevates mood, increases endurance, and reduces perceived effort. This helps the "exerciser" to run further, lift heavier, bike longer, and swim faster than usual without even realizing! In result, it may even help to promote metabolic efficiency, which is a big achievement.
One of the world's leading experts on the psychology of exercise music, Costas Karageorghis, even wrote that one could think of music as "a type of legal performance-enhancing drug."
Often we click "shuffle" on a playlist or just let Spotify do its thing - but when selecting the most effective workout music, it's not just about choosing fun, fast, high-energy songs. You can also consider the memories and emotions that different songs bring out of you. For some people, the way they feel can be majorly affected by the singer's emotional state and viewpoint. And, in some cases, songs with lyrics can "pump the person up" even more than the rhythm or the bass.
We have put together a playlist made up of all TeamLeeFit's favorite workout songs just for you! Give them a listen and see if you can identify why a song pumps you up or not!
Lena's Picks:
PAPI - DJ Nelson, Jose De Las Heras, Alejandro Armes
The Last Goodbye - ODESZA, Bettye LaVette
Where Are You Now - Lost Frequencies, Calum Scott
Love Nwantiti - CKay
On My Way (Marry Me) - Jennifer Lopez
Lauren's Picks:
Sorry Not Sorry - Demi Lovato
Boys - Lizzo
Demon - Mouth's Cradle
Survivor - Destiny's Child
Chapstick - Coin
Kara's Picks:
Cold Heart - Elton John & Dua Lipa
Superbloom - Misterwives
Toxic - Britney Spears
First Class - Jack Harlow
If I Were a Boy - DJ Escape (Remix)
Alex's Picks:
Already Home - Jay Z & Kid Cudi
Beautiful Escape - Tom Misch
Moment for Life - Nicki Minaj
Hot Music - Soho
Uproar - Lil Wayne & Swizz Beatz
Melissa's Picks:
My Chick Bad - Ludacris
Bang Bang - Jessie J
Here I Go Again - Whitesnake
My Own Worst Enemy - Lit
Power - Kanye