‘If people take anything from music, it should be motivation to know that anything is possible as long as you keep working at it and don’t back down’ – Eminem
As I explained earlier, I’ve started on a new fitness regime of getting my fat arse outside in the fresh air and running. I hated it when I first started, with a passion, every step was a physical and mental pain but the more I’ve stuck with it, I’ve been seeing some slow improvements, and don’t tell the me of this this time last year, but i’m actually starting to enjoy it!
There are 3 things that seem to get me through my runs and make them somewhat enjoyable. The first is the app on my phone Run Keeper. Works very similarly to Endomondo and it uses GPS to track your running route, speed etc. I have my set to talk to me every 5 minutes to tell me how far I’ve gone, what my average pace is and how many calories I’ve burnt. It really helps keeping me motivated and helps me try to beat my own record.
The second thing is the support and encouragement from my husband. He’s been a runner for years, and regularly runs ultra marathons just for fun, so to have him encourage me and tell me how proud he is of me (without sounding patronising) is a lovely support system. He even runs along side me and chats away when my phone is out of battery and I can’t listen to music, even though he’s not even breaking a sweat and i’m dying at the roadside!
Anyone who knows anything about me will know that I’m obsessively passionate about music (I blame my dad – the guy who owns more CDs than HMV) so it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise to learn that the third thing that keeps me super motivated is the running playlist I’ve put together on my phone. Just some of my favourite upbeat songs that really help me to keep going, and also, drown out the heavy breathing! Here’s a selection of my favourite running tunes below:
Robin Thicke – Blurred Lines – How can you not love this song? Super upbeat, super summery, good to bop along to
Electrik Red – Muah – Full of sass and female attitude, great beat as well
Madonna – Revolver – Again, great female empowerment song, helps to remember if Madge can have those abs at 53, i can have them at 31!
Childish Gambino – Heartbeat – Used in many a sports montage, dirty beat which makes you want to run hard
Pussycat Dolls – Bottle Pop – If wanting a figure like a Pussycat Doll doesn’t make you run, i don’t know what will
Tinie Tempah – Pass Out – There’s something about this guys’s voice that is so gritty & urban it makes me imagine i’m in 8 Mile or something like that! Cheesy, but whatever works!
Oakenfold – Faster Kill Pussycat – One of the more dancey songs in my list but really gets the adrenaline going, particularly useful when you’re half way through and need a pick me up
Boa – Energetic – Not much is known about the Korean singer but i think she’s amazing, imagine Britney if she never went crazy, and could sing
Longsands – World’s Collide – Good friends of mine, really uptempo guitar track, hard not to pick up the pace to
LMFAO – Yes – Never fails to make me smile, and sometimes you need to remember to smile when exercising
So pretty RnB heavy i would say, in the same way a lot of people find dance music motivating, I find an RnB base motivating. But music is such a personal thing it doesn’t really matter what gets you going! I’ll update with my running progress in a few weeks, please don’t judge me if you find me blogging about my latest exercise fad, i do that a lot!
