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Next time you're sweating it out at the gym, pump up the volume on your iPod. Recent studies showed that women who listened to their workout tunes a bit louder than usual not only increased the intensity of the workout but were in a better mood too. During the study, women who listened to loud music did 36 reps of the leg press, compared to 29 reps for women who listened to low or medium-volume music and 26 reps for those who listened to no music at all.

While the findings were true for both cardio and strength training exercises, the difference was most noticeable in participants who were pumping iron. Could it be that listening to music takes your mind off the fact that good grief, this hurts like heck? Yep, study author Janet McMordie tells MSNBC: "Psychologically, music gets you pumped up and it also distracts you from what you're doing," she says. Additionally, listening to music helps bust boredom in even the most routine workout.

A word of caution, though -- don't crank your tunes too much. Prolonged exposure to levels of 85 decibels or higher can permanently damage your hearing.

Ready to fire up your fitness? Check out our That's Fit playlist, sure to inspire you through the toughest of sets.

What are your favorite workout tunes?

If you're like me, your playlist starts to sound a bit stale after a while. And if you're a bit bored with your tunes, you're more apt to get bored with your workout.

So keep things fresh and update your playlist with some of these Grammy-nominated songs. I used the suggestions to add a few songs to my list. I chose "So What" by Pink and "Harder Better Faster Stronger" by Daft Punk. Which songs with a Grammy nod will you add to your list?

Want some more workout song suggestions? Check out Go Healthy Go Fit's third installment of fitness blogger playlists -- including suggestions from our very own Fitz! And be sure to check out AOL's coverage of the Grammys.

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We've already established that President Barack Obama is one fit dude. First Lady Michelle Obama is fit too. Heck, Grandma is no stranger to exercise either -- yoga is apparently her thing. Clearly, the first family has the power to inspire us all to get our butts in gear.

I'm thinking the tunes featured at the Obama inaugural Mid-Atlantic Ball might be turned into the perfect playlist for your workout. Here, the songs that got the First Family and friends into the groove -- see if they do the same for you.

• Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I'm Yours), Stevie Wonder
• Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now, McFadden & Whitehead
• Ain't No Mountain High Enough, Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell
• I'm Coming Out, Diana Ross
• Wanna Be Startin' Something, Michael Jackson
  
• Love Train, The O'Jays
• Pride (In The Name Of Love), U2
• We Are Family, Sister Sledge
• Your Love Keeps Lifting Me Higher, Jackie Wilson

Need more inspiration than this? Click on the America Takes It Off badge below.

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Over Christmas, I visited my parents, who live in a retirement community. I met my mom's really cool friend, Marilyn, who has recently taken up running (I won't presume to guess her age, but she lives in the same retirement community as my folks, so it's safe to say she's slightly more mature than most folks who begin a running routine). She's slated to run a leg of a marathon soon. She and I talked fitness and running, of course, and the conversation turned to music.

"I have some songs I'll listen to four times in a row because the beat is just what I need to keep my pace," she said. Marilyn didn't know how right she was.

The beats per minute (BPM) in certain songs can definitely affect your pace. This article breaks down the BPM that corresponds to different walking and running paces. For example, if you want to walk a 15 minute mile (4 mph), you want a song with a BPM of 140. To run an eight minute mile (7.5 mph), you want a song closer to 170 BPM. The question is, how do you know the BPM of your favorite songs?

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When loading up your iPod with workout tunes, Christmas songs are probably the last thing you think of. FitSugar recently ran a poll asking their readers if they would work out to holiday music. At the time I wrote this, 73 percent had responded saying there's no way they'd work out to holiday songs.

Why the bah humbug, exercise fans? Exercise is good for your mood -- add a little bit of cheerful Christmas music to your workout and you'll be a right jolly old elf. (Without the bowlful of jelly.) While Bing Crosby is perfect for nights spent around a crackling fire, consider these relatively more modern songs for your workout:

• Santa Claus is Comin' to Town by Bruce Springsteen
• God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen by Barenaked Ladies
• All I Want for Christmas is You by Mariah Carey
• Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer by Jack Johnson
• What Christmas Means to Me by Stevie Wonder.

What holiday songs do you think would be good for your workout?

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The right playlist can really make a difference in your workout. Music can motivate you and keep you going. My favorite way to exercise is simply to walk around the neighborhood, so I have my iPod loaded with mid-tempo songs that I love. My favorites are:

• Better Together by Jack Johnson
• Dirty Little Secret by The All-American Rejects
• Girlfriend by Avril Lavigne
• Jessica by Maybe August
• Keep Fishin by Weezer
• Cecelia by Simon & Garfunkel
• Makes Me Wonder by Maroon 5
• Paralyzer by Finger Eleven
• Pump It Up by Elvis Costello
• Suedehead by Morrissey

Andrew from Go Healthy Go Fit asked some of the web's top fitness bloggers what songs are on their playlists. Israel Lagares from Fat Man Unleashed favors Eminem and DMX. Rusty Moore from The Fitness Black Book opts for techno and house music. Check out the full article for song picks and playlists from other fitness bloggers.

What workout tunes are loaded on your iPod?

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Fitness magazine offers the perfect workout playlist in its May issue. "Freshen up your routine with these new tunes," reads page 18 in this inspiring publication. Five songs are featured, each with a specific purpose in mind. Here they are.

• Good Day by Tally Hall: A great feel-good song to get you started
  
  

• Mercy by Duffy: This retro soul tune will help you find your rhythm
  
  

• Elevator by Flo Rida: The hip-hop beat is hypnotic and will push you to go the distance
  
  

• 4 Minutes To Save the World by Madonna: This high energy track with Justin Timberlake and Timbaland will keep you going
  
  

• Touch My Body by Mariah Carey: Wind down with this hot new single

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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!!

What risks would you take to inspire your own weight loss? See yourself writing, producing, marketing, and selling skinny songs to help get your butt in gear? Venture capitalist Heidi Roizen, 49, may not have ever predicted she'd do such a thing. But it's exactly what she found herself doing when her weight hit an all-time high and she wanted more than anything to fit into the small clothing tucked away in her closet.

After her hunt for inspirational diet music was met with defeat, Roizen decided to write her own lyrics. Hiring two music producers came next and now her CD Skinny Songs is available for $14.99 on Amazon. Her songs -- I'm a Hottie Now, Skinny Jeans, and Thin are three of them -- can also be downloaded on iTunes.

Roizen, whose goal was to go from a size 14 to a size 8, can now fit into her skinny jeans. And she plans to keep it that way. She hopes to help others reach their own goals too.

"I've made a lifelong commitment to a lifelong change," says the mother of two. "I started writing the music to inspire myself, and now I hope it will inspire others."

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While some days I really enjoy jumping on the treadmill, stretching out at yoga or sweating through some strength training, there are days when I just cannot motivate myself to work out. I find that a lot of the time on these occasions, it's because of the mood I'm in -- grumpy, sad and even excited. However, I tend to find that exercising to music that matches my mood can help me get through a session I'm really not up for. If you ever feel the same way, here are a few songs to try depending on how you're feeling:

• After a break-up, the last thing I feel like doing is leaving the comfort of my bed to work out. But exercising releases endorphins AND it will help you lose any weight you may have gained while nesting in a long-term relationship. My favorite broken-heart workout song is Romeo by Basement Jaxx. It's all about telling off a former flame.
• So you've had a terrible day and it's got you steaming? Don't take it out on a piece of cake, get moving to Sabotage by the Beastie Boys. It's loud and screamy, and will help you get that aggression out -- along with some kickboxing perhaps?
• Sometimes emotional-eaters like to overindulge when they're happy. Instead of skipping your daily routine because you're cheery and would rather relax with pizza, maybe try doing some strength training to The Sweet Escape by Gwen Stefani? You can sing along to the 'Woohoo, Weehoo' chorus while you count your reps.
• If you're feeling too mellow to work out, you can always do some at-home yoga poses while listening to the album Big Calm by Morcheeba. Pretty much the entire CD is befitting a mellow stretch-out but my favorite is The Sea.
• Are you excited about a big night out and don't want to spend time exercising when you could be getting ready to head out looking your best? Even a quick work-out is better than no work-out so run or jog for 20 minutes on a treadmill and imagine grooving on the dance floor to one of the best body-moving songs ever, Don't Stop Till You Get Enough by Michael Jackson. It'll get you good and pumped for the fun to come.

If you're looking for any more great work-out playlist suggestions take a look here. Have you got any favorite songs to exercise to?

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