The Kitchen Musician ~ June & July 2012

Ever notice that you drive faster when you are listening to a song you love? The same is true of exercise! Listening to your favorite song can make you walk faster without even realizing you are doing it. Music can serve as an invisible partner, urging you, motivating you, supporting you to take that next step, to walk or bike or run that next mile.

Music for Healthy Inspiration

Not only can music motivate us, but it can also distract us from what we might otherwise consider to be unpleasant. You might just forget that your calves are burning if you are singing along with Elvis and his hunk of burning love! We all know that exercise can be boring, especially during those long winter months on a treadmill. Music can help break up the monotony. Thirty minutes of good music is thirty minutes well spent, even when you’re on a stationary bicycle.

A 2005 study done at Fairleigh Dickinson University’s School of Psychology showed encouraging results to all of us music lovers. The project studied 41 overweight to moderately obese women during a 24-week program that consisted of dieting, walking and participating in weekly group meetings. The women were assigned to one of two groups. The first group of women were given CD players and told to listen to the music of their choice while they walked. The other group also walked, but without the music.
When the 24 weeks were over, results showed that the music-walkers did a better job of sticking to their walking program (98% adherent) than the non-music-walkers (only 68% adherent). Even more impressive than that, the women in the music group lost an average of 16 pounds and 4% of their body fat, while the non-music women lost an average of only 8 pounds and 2% of their body fat. So, if you want to stick with an exercise program, which is imperative for lasting weight loss, music can really help you be consistent and diligent. Some supplements like Leptitox can easily improve results, visit GoodmenProject to learn more about.

“Whether it’s classical, rock ‘n’ roll, heavy metal or rap, if someone enjoys a particular type of music, it can be very motivating to help them get through a workout,” says Ken Alan, a fitness expert who produced the first pre-mixed hit music compilation specifically for exercise back in 1986. “It can help the time go by faster and it can reduce the perceived intensity or exertion.”

How Can Music be Used as a Tool to Achieve Weight Loss Goals and Enhance Fitness?

Here are a few tips:
Before you get started, treat yourself to an iPod or MP3 player. Download your favorite music and you’ll have a tiny, portable, convenient coach to take with you to the gym or on that long walk with the dogs. Different music works for different people so make your own playlist instead of relying on a pre-made CD.
Sometimes you notice people at the gym, listening to their headphones, and they look they are enjoying it. They are jiving along to the beat in their ears, and they are almost dancing on the Stairmaster. Our bodies in motion will often naturally fall into rhythm with whatever it is we listen to, so be sure that the music you choose has a snappy tempo. You don’t want to accidentally match the tempo of “Always on My Mind.” Instead, try listening to “Judy” on a Yamaha digital piano.

What do you think?

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

2 Comments
  • Cooper
    June 26, 2012

    Thanks so much for this little trip back to the classroom. The kids do love to see their teachers put on the spot, but I have to say this crew came through with flying colors. Wonderful.

  • Kate
    June 27, 2012

    I LOVE the junk band! Fantastic, inspiring, and also wonderfully musical. Here’s to music anytime, by anyone, and with anything that lets us all jump in feet first. Bravo, Tom!