That's Fit

Motivational pop and rock music is the key to strength training success. Really. A 2006 U.K. study says so.

A York St. John University study found that students could hold a 2.4-pound weight straight out in front of their bodies at shoulder height for up to 10 percent longer when strong lyrics were booming around them. All-music workouts beat out both a partial-music workout and a white noise workout but only when the tunes were powerful enough to pump up exercisers.

Pick a song you'd belt out recklessly in the shower or in your car and use it to power your next workout. Or borrow this Women's Health recommended playlist. Or this one, compliments of Divine Caroline. Or this one, offered by Fitness magazine.

You might remember a while ago when I "went running with Lance Armstrong," courtesy of a Lance Armstrong coaching mix provided by Nike. Don't forget that Lance's mix isn't the only one available -- check out some of the other coaching mixes for yourself!

To further encourage you to get (or stay) fit, Nike is giving away one $100 gift card to a lucky That's Fit reader. You can use that gift card toward any gear at Nike.com or at Nike stores. You can use it to purchase clothing, shoes -- you name it! Unfortunately, it's not good toward the coaching mixes, but they're pretty affordable anyway.

To enter, all you need to do is leave a comment below before 5:00PM Eastern, May 9, telling us about who or what inspires you to get fit. We'll randomly choose one winner amongst the eligible entries and announce the winner on May 12. Some other important details:

• To enter, leave a confirmed comment below telling us about who or what inspires you to get fit.
• The comment must be left and confirmed before May 9 at 5:00PM EST.
• You may only enter once.
• One winner will be selected in a random drawing.
• One winner will receive a Nike Gift Card valued at $100.
• Open to legal residents of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are 18 and older.

Click here for complete Official Rules.

Here at That's Fit, we're forever grateful for the service, courage and sacrifice made by the heroic men and women who serve as military, law enforcement officers, and firefighters. We're so grateful, that we'd like to dedicate some features to both showing our heroes off, and learning a little bit in the process as well. If you serve your country courageously, are a veteran or know someone who does, please return this form completed to Fitz along with a photo and we'll share your story with the world.

Name:

Age:

Heroic occupation:

If you're in the military...where are you?

How often do you exercise?

What type of exercise do you do?

Rebecca Brown over at Divine Caroline says she's worthless at her workouts without a good playlist to motor her along. I'm with Rebecca. My MP3 player is strapped to my arm whenever I exercise. I don't do well with silence and running, silence and weight training, silence and treadmilling. Silence and writing: I love the combination. But anything that causes me to sweat and huff and puff simply must be set to music.

Rebecca's got a bunch of readers sharing their playlists here. Check out this one.

• Paula Abdul - Dance Like There's No Tomorrow
  
• Matchbox 20 - How Far We've Come
  
• Limp Bizcuit - Nookie
• Britney Spears - Stronger
• Jars of Clay - Faith Like A Child
  
  

Check out some more if you're in the market for some new tunes. Borrow a song or two. Heck, use an entire playlist if you wish. And let us know what you've got playing in your ears.

When it comes to putting in hardcore workout, I honestly don't know how some people do it consistently without music of some kind. Granted, many gyms have sound systems playing, but if your gym is anything like mine, the station is set to some of the worst music on all of planet earth. And then there are the people who follow a more monastic approach, working out in complete silence. I don't know how they do it, but to each their own, I guess.

Still, there is actually a growing body of evidence that suggests listening to music while working out can actually enhance performance. In a recent article in Maximum Fitness magazine, a senior instructor from the School of Human Kinetics at the University of British Columbia stated that some people experience central nervous system stimulation from music, which helps psych them up for heavy lifting (I'm paraphrasing here, of course).

So, whether you're into hip-hop, rock, country, techno, or pop music, it seems that plugging those ear buds into your ears while you workout may do more than distract you from the bad music being played at the gym; it may actually be helping you get a better workout.

On April 20, in celebration of the April 22 Earth Day, families nationwide will celebrate our great planet by participating in the Green Apple Festival. If you live near one of these eight cities, you can plug into the music and environmental awareness that will be powering these simultaneous festivities.

Chicago: Lincoln Park Zoo
Dallas: Fair Park
Denver: City Park
Los Angeles: Santa Monica Pier
Miami: Bicentennial Park
New York: Central Park
San Francisco: Golden Gate Park
Washington DC: The National Mall

If you can't attend, do something instead to honor our Earth. Mix it up, like this post recommends. Enjoy a picnic in your favorite local park. Engage in a little eco-running -- tote a trash bag along on your neighborhood jog and pick up any litter you come across. Plant a fruit tree. Start our own compost pile, send a free e-card to friends and family, or simply get outside and marvel at the world around you. And by all means, eat a green apple. It's a Super Food, you know.

Award-wining singer-songwriter Toni Braxton was admitted to the hospital today with chest pains. Braxton, who has won six Grammy's and is perhaps most famous for her number one hit "Un-break My Heart," does five shows a week at the Flamingo in Las Vegas. She also has a heart condition known as pericarditis, as well as hypertension. She is expected to be released later today.

Pericarditis is an inflammation of the sac-like membrane that surrounds the heart. Chest pain is common, and though mild cases may improve without treatment, medication or, occasionally, surgery is required. Though Tuesday's show has been canceled, it sounds like Braxton will be right back to work following her recovery.

Some people hoard all their belongings, refusing to get rid of them for years and years. You know, packrats. Well, just yesterday, based on the fact that I've hoarded the same songs on my iPod for far too long, I officially diagnosed myself as being an iPod pack rat.

No word of a lie, I've had almost the same songs on my iPod for almost two years!! Though I've dropped a song here and there and added a few new tunes, by and large my song list has been the same. As for how this affected my workout, I no longer felt any motivation from hearing the same guitar riffs and techno beats over and over again. Ad nauseum, really. But then ... it happened. I accidentally erased my whole play list.

I don't know how it happened, nor do I really feel like revisiting the trauma I felt once I discovered that I had 100% available storage. Thankfully, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Rather than reloading all of the same songs, I decided to add completely different tracks. And tonight, while at the gym for the first time in almost two years with new songs to listen to, I had a killer workout. This comes as no surprise, really, for there have been numerous studies that linked listening to music and improved athletic performance.

The lesson I know I learned from all of this is that when it comes to working out, it's vital that you change your WHOLE workout every now and again. Don't get me wrong, I'm not going to start wearing a leopard print leotard to the gym and drinking water from an old prospector-style canteen (things don't have to change THAT much!!), but I will certainly mix things up from time to time. To that end, I'd appreciate any music track selections any of you may have; songs that really help you pump you up for your workout. I will never again be an iPod pack rat!!

That's right! I went running with the Livestrong legend, and you can too!

Nike+ has created a 40 minute running workout featuring Lance Armstrong, and they generously allowed me to download and review it. And I'll tell you what -- 40 minutes on a treadmill has never gone by so fast. The mix of music included songs by artists like Weezer, Beck, and The All-American Rejects and, more importantly, had Lance Armstrong coaching me through the workout.

I definitely liked the extra motivation -- every time I wanted to slow down, I heard Lance's voice and thought of that scene in Dodgeball where he sees Vince Vaughn in the airport bar and talks to him about quitting:

I hate to admit it, but the iPod revolutionized the way I run. I remember my first run with it -- nothing bulky to hold, no switching sides of the tape -- just pure, energizing music. It helped me to run faster and further; however, I've run into a problem. I can't find earphones I like.

My original iPod earbuds fit me perfectly -- they stayed in place and caused no pain. However, they recently stopped working, so I tried my husband's earbuds -- no luck. I don't know what's different, but something is, and they slide out of my ears. I tried two other types of earphones -- one pair that was like earbuds but hooked over my ears, and the one that was like a standard set of earphones that also hooked over my ears -- and neither of them worked for me, either. The first didn't stay in place and the second pair really hurt the tops of my ears.

Do you have a pair of earphones you really like? I found this forum with some suggestions, but I'll hold off on shopping until I hear from some That's Fit readers.

Have fitness questions? Fitz has your answer. Our ThatsFit.com fitness expert -- and now your own virtual personal trainer -- will help you get fit, increase your overall health and do it in a fun way. Drop your questions here in the Comments section below and we'll choose two per week to publish on That's Fit! Learn more about Fitz here.

Q. Hi Fitz! I am 29 year old male and I am thinking about starting a workout routine. However, I don't know where to begin. I have a treadmill and that's it. I am 5'11 and about 160lbs. I don't have a lot of muscle, have a low self esteem towards my body shape and would like to change it. Something simple I can do at home with or without the treadmill would be OK. Any suggestions? Jared

A. Sweet Jared. So sorry you're feeling down in the dumps. Hard to know exactly what is causing it all, but getting yourself in shape can certainly be a grand opportunity to increase your physical fitness, confidence and self esteem. It's proven to help people live better and longer. I can help you with your physical goals. If you feel like there may be something else adding to your low self-esteem, please don't feel shy to talk to your medical doctor or a counselor.

Having said that, it sounds like you are long and lean. What a lucky place to start! Let's get you going with a very simple routine which should get you on your way towards the athletic body you so desire. Make that treadmill your home for at least thirty minutes a day, five days a week. Jog for as long as you can, take a two minute walking break, and then repeat. Continue this jogging/walking training until you can jog for 30 minutes straight. Once you get there....increase your time, distance, speed or all three. Up to you! When you feel like you have bricks in your shoes, just walk! It's OK to have some slower days here and there.

Music can assist stroke victims in their recovery, says a recent report from BBC News. Researchers from the University of Helsinki discovered that stroke patients who listened to music for a couple of hours a day appeared to recover faster than those who listened to either books on tape or nothing at all.

Patients listening to music were better able to recover memory and attention skills, and also held a more positive outlook on their situation. After three months, verbal memory improved by 60 percent in the music-listening group, compared with only 18 percent in the audio book group, and 29 percent in the group who listened to nothing at all. Moreover, the ability to resolve conflicts and perform mental operations improved by 17 percent in the music-listening group, but did not appear to improve at all in the other groups.

However, as promising as this discovery may be, researchers admit that further examination into the study still needs to be conducted.

Have you ever known an individual who seems to have an incredibly natural ability to pick up music easily? I've known several, and I always used to think they just were "genetically predisposed" to being so gifted. Well, the University of Arkansas has done some research on the topic and discovered that it has more to do with training and practice than genes.

By subjecting musicians to solo recordings of Bach's violin and flute pieces, they used functional magnetic resonance imaging to scan their brains. The activity of their brains mirrored evidence that suggests experience plays a bigger role than genetic makeup.

Those who had more experience with a violin showed increased brain activity when listening to flute renditions. The vice versa was true for flutists. Researchers say if genes played more of determining factor, then the brain activity should have been equal for both recordings. I guess this goes to show you that nothing beats a little hard work!

Considering that suicides by way of depression claim so many lives each year, it's encouraging to hear about a new therapy that may have some benefits in the future. Music speaks to the soul, so it is no surprise to find a group of researchers trying to find a way to implement "music therapy" for patients with depression.

Four small studies were uncovered that give insight to how this potential treatment could help. They showed that the symptoms and signs of depression were reduced among patients undergoing music therapy. These results were greater than those reductions found among people in other therapy groups which had no music.

Even though the studies were small, it gives hope that larger trials may be on the horizon. If an institute were able to conduct bigger studies regarding musical treatment for depression, therapists may have another (perhaps more effective) weapon to fight suicides.

Do you jam out with an iPod or other tunes when getting exercise? I know when I use to cycle, music was one of the biggest motivators for keeping the pace. Well it turns out there's actually a science to fitness and the music we listen to while doing it.

For starters, they've shown with research that listening to your favorite artists while exercising can help you go longer and harder. It helps by eliminating the unpleasantness that comes with the workout like pain and fatigue. However, an interesting bit information is that certain music helps you perform better than others.

The song needs to be around 120 to 140 BPM (beats per minute). It all has to do with the pace you want to go. If you just want to go for a walk, keep it less than 120. However, if you plan on doing some serious running, songs with a BPM of 160 might do the job better. Getting your heart rate up to the desired speed is important, and music has always helped athletes push themselves to the next level. Any favorite songs out there that pump you up?