Almond Breeze news Move to the beat

Move to the beat!

“I can’t possibly workout without music.” Sound familiar?

You’re not alone. There is scientific evidence that proves exercising with music increases endurance, distracts you from pain and fatigue, reduces perceived effort and may even promote metabolic efficiency. As Costas Karageorghis of Brunel University in London pointed out, “one could think of music as a type of legal performance enhancing drug.”

 

The most noticeable effect that music has during exercise is that it acts as a distraction. Music is known to compete with the physiological feedback from the body which communicates that it is fatigued, helping your energy levels last longer. Music also works to relieve negative feelings such as exhaustion and boredom and replace them with a more positive mindset, tricking us into thinking we are enjoying what we’re doing. Genius!

 

Another way that music affects our workouts is by providing a metronome to move along with. Most people have a natural instinct to synchronise their movements with the beat of a song, whether it be hip-hop, rock, pop or country music. This synchronicity is also believed to be the reason that music can improve our endurance.

 

“Within our brains, research has shown that there are direct connections from our auditory neurons to our motor neurons – this is why we jump when we hear a loud noise. These reflect circuits are also active when we hear non startling sounds such as music,” explains Jessica Grahn, cognitive neuroscientist at Western University, Ontario.

 

So, what kinds of music should we be listening to?

 

Research shows that music with beats between 120bpm and 160bpm are most effective, however, we should also be considering the memories, emotions and associations that different music evokes. The most important thing to remember when selecting your songs is to choose something that helps you reflect on a happy memory as well as making you want to dance!

 

The Almond Breeze team have created a list of their favourite tracks to make your next workout a breeze!

·         Sax – Fleur East

·         I could be the one – Avicii

·         Say It – Flume

·         SOS – Rhianna

·         Crazy in Love – Beyonce

·         American Boy – Estelle feat. Kanye West

·         More – Usher

·         Get into the Groove – Madonna

·         Push It – Salt’n’Pepa

·         Groove is in the Heart – Deee-Lite

·         Better the Devil You Know – Kylie Minogue

If we’ve missed your favourite workout song, let us know on our Facebook page!

AB x