Music Improves Workouts??

Yes, yes it is true! The simple task of listening to music while you work out has been shown to improve your workout. Now, that is good news.

Christopher Capuano, Ph.D., director of the school of psychology at Fairleigh Dickinson University in Teaneck, N.J., reports that the research has found that overweight to moderately obese women with a mean BMI of 33, who participated in a walking program three times a week for six months, gradually traveled longer, recorderd faster times for distance covered, and burned more fat when they listened to music while walking. We tend to show greater endurance and have better a better performance when we use music to help motivate us.

Want more good news? Get this: the subjects who listened to music were much more likely to stick to the program, and lost twice as much weight - an average of 16 pounds versus eight pounds in the no-music group. Many were also inspired to add an extra two or three days to their walking schedule.

I have always believed that music has a powerful effect on our brains. When I am in a bad mood, switching on my favorite song has done worlds of good to distract me and bump up those feel good hormones in my brain. When you work out, I assume music helps distract you from boredom or a little pain.

Now, please don't crank up your music so loud that in a couple years you have early hearing loss. Keep it below the half walk mark so you can still hear pieces of what is going on around you.

Happy Exercising and keep those tunes coming!