That's Fit

Top five favorite bands. Quick ... who are they?!!

Whether you fancy The Beach Boys or the Beastie Boys, Radiohead or Portishead, The Eagles or The Turtles, numerous studies show that listening to music you enjoy while you work out will better your performance. And, as if that weren't enough of a reason to download some hot new tracks, a study from the New York Academy of Sciences discovered that listening to your favorite tunes can have a positive effect on cognitive ability. According the the research, spending as little as 10 minutes with U2, Oasis, Beyonce -- or any other artist or band you enjoy listening to -- before a test actually improves results.

Oh, and just to put it out there, my five favorite bands are: Oasis, The Beatles, Counting Crows, Death Cab for Cutie, and Pearl Jam. Runners up: Beastie Boys, Coldplay, Simon & Garfunkel, and Guster.

And your favorites are ... ?

Fitzness Fiends is a section devoted to you, the reader! We all have learned so much on our path to becoming more fit, and now it's time to learn from and inspire each other! Fitzness Fiends are constantly working to better themselves. Some are perfect, some are not. All have health on the mind. Please send Fitz your answers to these questions with a photo of yourself. Time for you to be the motivator!

Name: Paul Watford

Age: 61

Occupation: Retired

How often do you exercise? Five to six days a week

What type of exercise do you do? Two to three days a week I do stadium steps. Two to three days a week I do core body exercises: sit-ups, push-ups, varying plank exercises, and yoga stretches.

What gets you to workout, even when you're feeling lazy? Its up to me. I am the only active person in my family.

They might be skinny but they're not necessarily healthy according to this article, which lists the food (and other) requests of rock, country, rap and pop stars. Some are pretty basic but some are frankly bizarre. Sugary cereal is a request of both Clay Aitken and Red Hot Chili Peppers. KFC is the greasy meat of choice for Gnarls Barkley and 50 Cent. Alcohol (in mass quantities) is on the list for the members of Green Day and Coldplay. Expensive Champagne is a favorite of Mariah Carey and 50 Cent, and both Axl Rose and Marilyn Manson love their meat -- so much so that Manson always orders a full pound of it.

Some celebrities make healthy choices. John Mayer and Christina Aguilera both request a selection of organic items and Shania Twain brings along her own juicer and requests a bunch of fresh fruits and veggies.

Now it's your turn. If you were a famous musician, what would you request on the road? I think I would ask for a plate of fancy expensive cheeses, a bunch of fresh, organic fruits and veggies, some chocolate (though not too much -- I wouldn't want to over-indulge), a selection of fresh seafood and, what the heck, a bottle of champagne. You only live once, right?