~ how to ~
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Happy Sunday, everyone! I hope you're all having a fabulous long weekend. Mine is a nice mix of rest and productivity. In addition to accomplishing several chores that have been on my mind, I also (FINALLY) purchased a new phone. This is kind of a big deal since I have pretty much complained nonstop about the darn thing for months, anxiously waiting for my contract to end. Now I can stop stressing any time I need to make a call (seriously, I had to keep it under two minutes or the phone would shut off). And, happily, I now can stop throwing my phone. Not that that ever happened. Not even five or six or fifty times.
Because my phone can do lots of amazing things, it now has Kanye West's latest album on it. Oh man, you guys. I am so obsessed with this album it's not even funny. I even gave my iPod a much-needed rest and took the phone to the gym this morning so I could listen to Kanye as I did a hill workout on the treadmill.
If you read this blog regularly, you know how much I dislike the treadmill. But it's a necessity for me, especially when Salt Lake is experiencing bouts of nasty air. I've developed a number of little tricks for treadmill workouts, and one of them is using music. I know most people use music every time they run, but I only really like it at the gym. When I'm outside, I prefer to go without. In fact, during my last half marathon, I only used music for the last mile or two so I could push myself a little harder.
If you're looking for a way to jazz up your workouts, start using music as a tool, not a distraction.
- Pick an album or a playlist for your workout and determine the approximate number of songs you want to listen to during your workout (maybe enough for 20 or 30 minutes). Then cover up the timer (it's annoying, anyway), relax, and let the music guide you to the end.
- Cover the entire screen and let the tempo of the music dictate your pace. I find that certain songs make me feel like a rock star and want to run faster. I rarely feel that way if I'm just staring at the screen, waiting for the run to end.
- Pick a bunch of your favorite, most inspirational songs, cover the timer (see a theme here?), and use the music to help you visualize completing your goals. Visualization is truly a powerful technique and it's much easier to focus on crossing a finish line or completing a tough workout when you're not staring at red numbers the whole. friggin. time.
In case you'd like a jumping-off point, here are three albums that I can't get enough of while on the treadmill:
- Kanye West, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (obviously--or, as my cousin Christine would say, "Obvi!") This album is SO GOOD. However, if you really don't like explicit lyrics, I'd stay away (even though the awesomeness of the album makes up for them). Also, there is a Chris Rock skit on it I can do without. Those are my warnings.
- INXS, INXS. You really forget how good this music was. I listen to it over and over and over, even at work.
- Red Hot Chili Peppers, Greatest Hits. An fantastic collection of the Peppers' very best songs. Can't complain about that.
Happy Sunday, everyone! I hope you're all having a fabulous long weekend. Mine is a nice mix of rest and productivity. In addition to accomplishing several chores that have been on my mind, I also (FINALLY) purchased a new phone. This is kind of a big deal since I have pretty much complained nonstop about the darn thing for months, anxiously waiting for my contract to end. Now I can stop stressing any time I need to make a call (seriously, I had to keep it under two minutes or the phone would shut off). And, happily, I now can stop throwing my phone. Not that that ever happened. Not even five or six or fifty times.
Because my phone can do lots of amazing things, it now has Kanye West's latest album on it. Oh man, you guys. I am so obsessed with this album it's not even funny. I even gave my iPod a much-needed rest and took the phone to the gym this morning so I could listen to Kanye as I did a hill workout on the treadmill.
If you read this blog regularly, you know how much I dislike the treadmill. But it's a necessity for me, especially when Salt Lake is experiencing bouts of nasty air. I've developed a number of little tricks for treadmill workouts, and one of them is using music. I know most people use music every time they run, but I only really like it at the gym. When I'm outside, I prefer to go without. In fact, during my last half marathon, I only used music for the last mile or two so I could push myself a little harder.
If you're looking for a way to jazz up your workouts, start using music as a tool, not a distraction.
- Pick an album or a playlist for your workout and determine the approximate number of songs you want to listen to during your workout (maybe enough for 20 or 30 minutes). Then cover up the timer (it's annoying, anyway), relax, and let the music guide you to the end.
- Cover the entire screen and let the tempo of the music dictate your pace. I find that certain songs make me feel like a rock star and want to run faster. I rarely feel that way if I'm just staring at the screen, waiting for the run to end.
- Pick a bunch of your favorite, most inspirational songs, cover the timer (see a theme here?), and use the music to help you visualize completing your goals. Visualization is truly a powerful technique and it's much easier to focus on crossing a finish line or completing a tough workout when you're not staring at red numbers the whole. friggin. time.
In case you'd like a jumping-off point, here are three albums that I can't get enough of while on the treadmill:
- Kanye West, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (obviously--or, as my cousin Christine would say, "Obvi!") This album is SO GOOD. However, if you really don't like explicit lyrics, I'd stay away (even though the awesomeness of the album makes up for them). Also, there is a Chris Rock skit on it I can do without. Those are my warnings.
- INXS, INXS. You really forget how good this music was. I listen to it over and over and over, even at work.
- Red Hot Chili Peppers, Greatest Hits. An fantastic collection of the Peppers' very best songs. Can't complain about that.
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