I know I have seen a thread for music before but can't seem to find it now. I was wondering if anyone has an good ideas for music. I am trying to make a CD specifically to keep me motivated while on the treadmill and just haven't found what I am looking for. I mainly walk outdoors for my exercise, and occasionally ride a stationary bike and do a little weight training. I know with fall and winter coming up there will be days I will have to walk indoors on the treadmill and that is the problem. I drive to a park to walk because I know when I am there I have to finish but on the treadmill I get so bored. Music always helps and I am trying to make a CD or two to keep me motivated and going on the treadmill-too easy to stop in the middle of a walk. So if you ladies have any suggestions or want to share what keeps you motivated while exercising please feel free to post.
Everyone has different tastes in music. Myself, I prefer the 80's genre. Just keep in mind your usual workout pace. I have two paces of CDs for myself. One with a slower selection for walking and one that is fast-paced for running. And I tried to increase the speed of the songs on the running CD gradually so that it motivates me to run faster...with slower songs at the end to reduce my speed and bring my heart rate back down.
80's music is great for working out! My sister made me a mix tape several years ago (does anyone even use cassettes anymore?) with Beastie Boys, Sir-Mix-ALot, Crystal Waters, House of Pain, Digital Underground, etc. It is just so upbeat.
I also like techno/danceteria stuff when i work out. If I run outside, i usually don't wear headphones though, because I want to be aware of my surroundings if someone tried to attack me (knock on wood).
I don't use the head phones outdoors either, like to know what's going on around me. I only use them while walking on the treadmill where I get so bored with walking and it is too easy to quit. Music keeps me going though and I know with the winter months coming up there will be lots of walking on the treadmill!
I do use headphones so that my music is just for my ears. But I have the ones that insert into the ears and don't block outside sounds and keep the volume low enough so that I can hear both.
Doesn't anyone else have an MP3 player? They are SO cheap now.
(don't confuse them with the iPods...which are way too pricey for my taste!)
The one I'm using currently - a Rio Cali - I paid $80 for new, and the same model is on Overstock.com for $54.99 right now. It holds LOTS of songs (not hundreds but who reallly needs hundreds of tunes at once?), it's easy to load and reload, and only weighs about 3 ounces - you can run and jump and it WON'T skip the way my old Discman used to.
Jim and I ripped our CD collection to our PC - we also get songs from Napster and Yahoo Music Unlimited.
I'm planning on buying a subscription-based player for Christmas - like a Dell Pocket DJ or an iRiver. These nifty players allow you to download as many songs as you want without having to pay for each song individually (Yahoo Music Unlimited only charges $60 a year for the service...such a deal!)
Anyway...as far as what's on my player right now - a lot of Motown (Motown Remixed is GREAT to work out to!), 70's R&B, Elvis Costello & the Attractions, Weather Report, and even some Joni Mitchell.
We've thought of getting one but haven't yet. I have a sports Sony disc player that doesn't skip and is water resistant. It has a hand strap so it sits in your palm with the controls easily accessible with just the thumb. It plays MP3 CDs, so I make the CDs I want to use in it.
just a suggestion! the dell dj is not worth the money...my sister got one, and within a week it was totally broken--your better bet is the ipod shuffle (only $99) or something along those lines...the Dell Dj just tries to put too much stuff onto it and it freezes up a lot, and then eventually just breaks down...
I have an iRiver - holds about 120 songs - I got it on EBay for $50 refurbished. It's about the same size as a Bic lighter - easy to load and unload songs. Way easier than dragging a disk player around...I have a lot of different kinds of music loaded. For working out I like a lot of different kinds of stuff - Honky tonk blues, metal, latin dance, grunge, punk, anything with a good beat to make me MOVE IT... :>)
Right now a favorite is Jackie Greene - a local boy from here on Northern California. Also Ozomatli, Santana (just saw him last night - woo hoo), Minor Threat, Dropkick Murphys....John Fogerty has a fairly new (last year?) album out that has a song he wrote for his daughter might be titled "I will walk with you"...
Music is great for taking your mind off of the work part of exercise...I agree with the above aout headphones though - don't play it so loud you can't hear what is going on around you.
For myself, I LOVE dance/house music. It's fast beat keeps me going and keeps me consistant with each workout and I workout harder.
I burn CD's with my favorite songs. But what is truly awesome, is my Gym omly plays fast/house/dance music over the loud speakers..I love it! My husband and I are looking into getting IPODs for ourselves, but we've doing research on them on which one to get! Have you see the new cell phone..I think it's by verizon or cingular? and it holds up to 100 songs on it and you can listen to it (your cell phone!) like an IPOD. How neat is that? We have Nextel's, so that does not help us.
Anyway, here's some songs on my list that keeps me pumped! (click on the links so you can hear the song)
just a suggestion! the dell dj is not worth the money...my sister got one, and within a week it was totally broken--your better bet is the ipod shuffle (only $99) or something along those lines...the Dell Dj just tries to put too much stuff onto it and it freezes up a lot, and then eventually just breaks down...
just thought i'd throw that in!
xo
Thanks!
Right now I'm really happy with my $80 Rio Cali...I don't care for the iPods as IMO they are WAY overpriced for what you get - only being able to download from iTunes (you CAN buy songs on Napster or Yahoo, but they need to be converted to a compatible format to use on iPod from what I've heard - too much of a PITA, IMO!), not to mention the fact that I know quite a few people who have had their iPods swiped. No one would bother to rip off my little Rio, and it does the job
I'm waiting to see what happens in the subscription player front - as soon as prices go down to around $120 I'm going to buy
FWIW, I have a Dell DJ 30 and I love mine. I've got the Yahoo subscription and I've already put about 12MB on it. With Yahoo, you can set up playlists on your PC (I've got a couple specifically labeled "workout" music) and then just sync up the player while you're doing something else on the PC. I've got so much on mine that it takes about an hour to sync My only complaint about it so far - I've had it about 4 months - is that it is a bit heavy and you really need one of the optional holders to effectively use it with the belt clip. Otherwise you have to take it out of the holder to get to the pause/play etc. I think I paid $219 for it.
If you get one, make sure you download the software that lets you use subscription music before you load your own music. The download basically "formats the hard drive."
I guess I'm a little older than you guys, because I don't recognize most of the songs you mentioned! And, I have a Sony Walkman cassette player. Gotta do something with those old cassettes! Seriously, Leslie Sansone and Kathy Smith both have cassettes out that you walk to, and they're great. Sometimes I just like to walk to new age music to get calm and peaceful.
I also have a Sandisk 512gig MP3 player. I got it for about 60 bucks and so far I've put 3 whole CDs on it and still have lots and lots of room. Two things I'm not crazy about -- the stretchy arm band thing gets uncomfortable after a while, and I'm not too tech savvy so I have trouble reading and understanding the menus.
I mostly have Latin and African music on mine -- great beats to walk to and I really love World music.
You go dinahgirl...I still have vinyl and cassettes as well - you aren't alone...but the walkman cassette player died long ago...the CD player got to be a hassle to keep burning disks...the mp3 player, once you get a decent amount of songs in - you don't really even have to mess with it..just let er shuffle.
Last edited by chick_in_the_hat; 09-19-2005 at 04:56 PM.
Reason: dang keyboard...who moved the keys around?
I mostly have Latin and African music on mine -- great beats to walk to and I really love World music.
A lot of my "workout music" playlist falls in that category. Afro-Cuban Allstars & Buena Vista Social Club are 2 groups that usually have a hip, funky, get your groove thing on kind'a beat.
Music While Exercising
Have you see the new cell phone..I think it's by verizon or cingular? and it holds up to 100 songs on it and you can listen to it (your cell phone!) like an IPOD. How neat is that? We have Nextel's, so that does not help us. 
My only complaint about it so far - I've had it about 4 months - is that it is a bit heavy and you really need one of the optional holders to effectively use it with the belt clip. Otherwise you have to take it out of the holder to get to the pause/play etc. I think I paid $219 for it. 
