Motivational Music?

[SunsetRunner]

Music moves me. I have used it for decades while teaching technical classes. (Mozart keeps the brain focused.) And I've used music for pain management (solo piano) during a period in my life when I had to undergo a couple operations. Very effective! Now, I am thinking music can help keep me on track at this point of my journey to better health. I've lost 60 lbs over the last year. Have 25 to go this year.

Does anyone have suggestions for motivational music? I'm thinking of two categories:
- Motivational music with a good beat ... something to listen to when doing cardio, walking, etc.
- Motivational music, in general. The beat does not matter, just the words to the songs

Here are two songs I've found:
- Unwritten by Natasha Bedingfield
- Proud by Heather Small

Any other suggestions?

[gerrymcd]

I'm constantly amazed at the difference music makes to my workout effort.  The right playlist can make me work much, much harder.  I've also gotten into the habit of playing the same song or two everytime I start my workout.  Its a trick I read a long time ago - soon as the track starts playing my brain switches into workout mode.   Currently (and for the past couple of months) the first tracks on my gym playlist have been.....

House of Pain 'Jump around'

Arctic Monkeys 'I bet you look good on the dancefloor'

Beyonce 'Ring the alarm (Freemasons Remix)'

[gerrymcd]

Oh and of course....

Iggy Pop 'Real Wild Child'

Eminem 'Lose yourself'

Florence + the machine 'Spectrum'

Oakenfold (with Brittany Murphy) 'Faster kill pussycat'

[SunsetRunner]

@gerrymcd

I love your idea of always starting a workout with the same songs! Great way to put yourself in the right frame of mind. I will be borrowing this idea. 🙂

[gerrymcd]

A couple of nights ago I had my ipod playing on shuffle as I was cooking..... one of my gym openers came on.  My dog immediately picked up on the change in my energy and thought 'playtime'.  

I've found it doesn't take long for my brain to automatically associate a particular track with 'about to workout' and switch my body into that mode.  I think it makes quite a difference. 

[Del678]

I'm loving Stevie Wonder at the moment 🙂 also Major Lazer.

[Hats26]

I really need to get my music sorted. At the moment I just listen to whatever is on TuneinRadio App. I have an ipod that I should update music wise but I was also thinking of music that helps beats per minute and music that gently encourages you to speed up? I saw that Motion Traxx has that, but its a tenner a month and I've not looked into it yet. 

[BarbarianDiva]

Pat Benatar's Greatest Hits has been doing the trick for me on the elliptical machine. The tempo gets me moving, and "You Better Run", "All Fired Up", and "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" keep me going. I crank it up so I don't hear all those fat cells crying... 

[NativeSFGirl]

I use the same trick when starting a workout with a certain song as well. I love it.  It is strange when I am driving or at the supermarket and hear that song, my heart beats a little faster in aticipation of the start to my running.  Funny thing our bodies!  Here are my current favorites for running right now:

You Shook Me All Night Long - AC/DC

The Man - Aloe Black

Pompeii - Bastille

Burn - Ellie Goulding

Insane in the Membrane - Cypress Hill

Dark Horse - Katy Perry

Thrift Shop - Macklemore

PYT - Michael Jackson

Red Solo Cup - Toby Keith

I know pretty strange mix, but I like all kinds of music 🙂  Going to look up some of the ones others have wrote, I need a few new tunes myself!

[TandemWalker]

Ditto on Ellie Goulding!

[fitSan]

Hadouken! - M.A.D

Dragula - Rob Zombie (Matrix)
Leave You Far Behind - Lunatic Calm

Army of Me (Sucker Punch Remix) Bjork/Skunk Anansie

They just make me feel so powerful, I amp it up when I listen to these. 🙂

[Algenon]

Macklemore and Ryan Lewis "Can't Hold Us".  Is a great song.  

[nancylamb]

I teach fitness classes and run a boot camp program. The music is a set beats per minute, and most of the CDs I use are right around an hour long. I put these on my Ipod and it really helps. You can look up 32mixes.com or instructormusic.com or also try johnsines. They let you hear a sample and select the bpm. I would recommend between 144 and 160 (160 for running).

[londog]

Something heart-pumping like Eye of the Tiger or Footloose. Old school LOL!

[Caity]

I tend to put songs that are maybe a little slower but that put me in a really good mood at the start of my playlist, which change often just depending on what I’m into. Then after two or three of these I have my real workout songs; a few that have been on my playlist for a while are:

Weightless – All Time Low

Won’t Back Down – Eminem

Immigraniada (We’re coming rougher) – Gogol Bordello

Oh No – Gogol Bordello

Wanderlust King – Gogol Bordello

Give it All – Rise Against

Broken Mirrors – Rise Against

6 Gun Quota – Seether

Disappear – Motion City Soundtrack

So Rich, So Pretty – Micky Avalon

A few of my workout songs are a little slower or at least start a little slower to give me a moment to catch my breath. I tend to change up my playlist a lot to keep things interesting but these are some of my core songs.

[Sprinting-dwarf]

I like to listen to just about anything by Two Steps From Hell. They make a lot of the big instumental pieces for movies.

[Tayo]

Love Never Felt So Good - Michael Jackson
That song is feelin' soooo good right now! No better way to get steps than dancing to MJ!

[13]

Muscle prology....not sure if i spelt that right...sorry. Anyways thats what i listen to and it pushes me farther and farther each workout:]

[PuckBunny19]

I listen to a lot of music. Rage Against the Machine, Tool, Every Time I Die, Killswitch Engage, Black Label Society, Deftones, Queens of the Stone Age. Sometimes rap, whatever makes me want to deadlift a car. When I'm running I like Minus the Bear and the Black Keys, Muse. I just love music 🙂

[craigh0911]

I did Tough Mudder last year in Scotland and it was the hardest thing iv done. If you listen to Zero Gravity (Tough Mudder 2013) by Tony Anderson. Thats the speech he said at the start of Tough Mudder, pumps me up everytime i hear it, i have it as my alarm ringtone, so i wake up raring to go 👍