More than 1,000 Self.com users recently voted for their top workout songs. While you might quibble with some of the results, the list is worth a look at http://www.self.com/fitness/playlists/2008/08/readers-favorites-playlist. Music offers a host of mental and physical benefits, and Self.com provides a comprehensive set of playlists for any mood or activity. You’re sure to find one that you like at http://www.self.com/fitness/playlists.
As a recently certified Pilates instructor and an avid yoga practitioner, I know lots of people look for the right music to help master poses and fight through fatigue and distraction. Well, Women’s Health has done all of the hard work for us, creating a playlist that’s full of constant rhythms and soothing sounds. See the list here (you can even buy it for your iPod if you like it): http://www.womenshealthmag.com/fitness/yoga-or-pilates-playlist.
Just stumbled on some fascinating research from 2004: it turns out that music can not only improve workouts and enhance moods, but also strengthen the brain. Clinical psychologist Charles Emery found that cardiac rehabilitation patients—who often suffer cognitive declines—had improved frontal lobe function when they combined exercise and music. Emery chose Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons due to its strong showings in other music- and exercise-related studies, but he believes that any music will provide the benefits.
Listening to rapid-tempo music while exercising strenuously can increase your efforts and thus calories burned. You may have known that, but did you know that music can also relieve back pain, ease your sleep or help you prepare for a presentation? For a full roundup on the latest findings in health and music, go to http://www.menshealth.com/cda/article.do?site=MensHealth&channel=fitness&category=music.on.the.go&conitem=d9b85ae142396010VgnVCM100000cfe793cd____.
30 Day Shred With Jillian Michaels. Three 20-minute circuits combine strength, cardio and ab moves giving you a no-holds-barred calorie blast! (60 minutes, $15, exercisetv.tv). (Fitness, August 2008)
Results from a 12 year University of South Carolina study indicate that, no matter what the scale says, regular runners live about nine years longer than sedentary types!
Can't find your keys ... or your car? Forty minutes of cardio four times weekly can double the amount of blood flow to the hippocampus (the brain's memory center) enhancing recall, report scientists (Fitness, August 2008)
1 - I like to rollerblade so I create a playlist of upbeat, energizing songs. The total time is one hour and 20 minutes with two slow songs at the end. When I hear the slow songs start I know my workout is coming to an end and I start to head back home. For extra safety, I keep the music levels low and I blade with a buddy.
2 - If I’m short on time or extremely tired, I pop in my favorite 20 minute Pilates DVD … 20 minutes and I'm done!
This October, London will host the first-ever Run to the Beat half-marathon. Sounds enjoyable if you can afford the trip, but even if that jaunt is out of your price range, you can learn a lot from the work of the team behind the event, the Music in Sport Research Group. Profiled in-depth in this article from the Guardian (http://lifeandhealth.guardian.co.uk/wellbeing/story/0,,2275414,00.html), the group and its leader Dr. Costas Karageorghis have spent nearly two decades researching the links between music and athletic performance. Read the whole article if you have time, but if not, keep these high points in mind:
· Music can reduce your RPE (rate of perceived exertion) by up to 10 percent.
· For running and other aerobic activities, upbeat music helps stimulate the parts of the brain associated with movement. This is most beneficial when you choose music with a tempo similar to your planned exercise tempo.
· The more you like the music you choose, the more likely you will be to enter into a state of “flow,” when the mind and body work in harmony with minimal conscious effort.
· Not everyone benefits from music during exercise—people who have a strong preference for intense concentration on their workouts won’t perform better by listening to music.
With these findings in mind, DKWIO continues to incorporate music, meditation and interactive learning experiences to reach kids with a broad spectrum of learning styles.
Interesting January 14 article in HealthDay News pointing to the increasing amount of boys—especially boys who watch lots of music videos—with unhealthy body images. The study, conducted by Marika Tiggemann of Flinders University in Australia, also showed girls who watched soap operas had highly unrealistic ideals of body shape. In the absence of healthy and accurate information, kids will draw from anything—music videos, TV, advertising—to determine their ideals.
It’s up to adults to provide the healthy guidance and goals that kids need, and that doesn’t mean being a size zero, it means making the right choices and making your body—whatever its shape might be—a healthy one.
 | MSNBC: McDonald's courts busy moms as emissaries |
| | Detroit Free Press: No sweat: Obamas work fitness into daily routine |
| | Reuters: Fast-food ad ban could cut child obesity: U.S. study |
| | Associated Press: Burger King limits sodium in kids meals |
| | CNN: More U.S. families struggling to feed children, report says |
| | Detroit News: Nutrition experts shell out praise for walnuts |
| | New York Times: Child Obesity Seen as Warning of Heart Disease |
