The road to better exercise might be in your playlist

 

(Plan Shoot/Imazins, Getty Images)

Music may be just what you need to stick with an exercise program – and picking the right tunes could even improve performance.

Federal exercise guidelines recommend people get at least two and a half hours of moderate-intensity aerobic activity, or 75 minutes of vigorous activity, each week. For those who don't love the act of exercising, those totals can seem like a tall order.

But over the last decade, researchers have begun to build the case that music during exercise might just give an edge.

A recent study in the journal Psychology of Sport and Exercise concludes that listening to motivational music during sprint-interval training has the potential to not only improve the participants' level of enjoyment, but their performance as well.

"People I find who may have trouble staying with an exercise program or who begin one and quit after a month may find this as a method to help them enjoy it," said Costas I. Karageorghis, one of the study's authors. "The real benefit of this type of research is that the more people you can direct toward a healthier lifestyle, the better."

In the study, the participants' peak power output and heart rates were higher when listening to motivational music than when listening to podcasts or to no audio. They also rated their post-workout enjoyment higher after listening to music.

Paige Cervantes, a professional trainer based in McKinney, Texas, said the right music affects her health and happiness, even on a tough day in the weight room.

"I know especially on days where I knew I was going to be lifting heavier, I felt my performance would improve when it was harder rock music," she said. "There was something about that beat and the guitar playing that would just kind of set the mood to where I could lift heavier and almost get to the point of getting a little angry."

Her choice for those workouts? A little heavy metal.

"That would kind of bring up the fight in me. Bubblegum music doesn't do much for me when I am trying to lift weights."

Karageorghis, a professor of sport and exercise psychology at Brunel University in London, said a good place to start is to look for playlists that feature music starting about 120 beats per minute, the pace of a brisk walk. Over time, as workouts intensify, the tempo of the music can increase as well, up to about 140 bpm.

"I find people who devote time and energy to creating playlists for their workouts actually enjoy their workout much more than those who just select music randomly," said Karageorghis, author of the book Applying Music in Exercise and Sport. "Ideally, if you turn your playlist over every couple of weeks, it will keep it fresh. It will be more stimulating, and you're likely to derive greater athletic and psychological benefits than if you simply listen to the same playlist over and over."

But he warned to be wary of the volume.

"In many exercise facilities that I visit, the music is way above 80 decibels," he said. "If you're able to maintain a comfortable conversation with the person next to you, the music volume is probably about right."

His previous research shows even when people exercise beyond comfortable levels, such as at levels higher than 75% of their maximal heart rate, music can put them in a better mood – despite the associated fatigue or exhaustion – than when the workout includes no music.

Those positive effects on mood are important, said Russell Pate, an exercise science professor in the University of South Carolina's Arnold School of Public Health. Sticking with a workout routine, he said, depends on a lot of different factors, including support from family and friends.

"But the more positive it is, the greater the likelihood that they'll choose to do it again tomorrow and the day after that."

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Cheap, Legal And Everywhere: How Food Companies Get Us 'Hooked' On Junk

 

Hooked author Michael Moss says processed food companies appeal to our childhood nostalgia: "What we eat is all about memory."

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If you're someone who has turned to snacking on junk food more in the pandemic, you're not alone. Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter Michael Moss says processed food is engineered to be "craveable," not unlike a cigarette or a hit of cocaine.

His 2013 book Salt Sugar Fat, explored food companies' aggressive marketing of those products and their impacts on our health. In his new book, Hooked, Moss updates the food giants' efforts to keep us eating what they serve — and how they're responding to complaints from consumers and health advocates.

Processed food, he notes, is "inexpensive, it's legal, it's everywhere. And the advertising from the companies is cueing us to remember those products and we want those products constantly. So the food environment ... is one of those key things that makes food even more problematic for so many people."

Moss notes that memory — and nostalgia in particular — play a big role in the foods we crave.

"The soda companies discovered that if they put a soda in the hands of a child when they're at a ballpark with their parents, that soda will forever be associated with that joyous moment," he says. "So later on in life, when that child now wants to experience a joyous moment, they're going to think of soda."

During the pandemic, he says, many people have sought comfort in the snacks they remember from childhood. "We went into the store and we started buying products we hadn't had since we were kids," he says — recalling "great joyous moments."

Moss examines the way these companies capitalize on our memories, cravings, and brain chemistry to keep us snacking.

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Interview highlights

On how the processed food industry appeals to our sense of nostalgia

One of the reasons I came to think that some of these food products are even more powerful, more troublesome than drugs can be is memory. What we eat is all about memory. And we begin forming memories for food at a really early age, possibly even in the womb, depending on what our mother is eating. And we keep those memories for a lifetime. They don't go away. ... And the more we eat these products, the deeper those memory channels go. And so the food industry, knowing that, spends lots of time trying to shape the memories that we have for their products.

Hooked, by Michael Moss

Penguin Random House

On how processed food is designed to make your brain react fast

One of the hallmarks of addiction that scientists who are studying drug addiction discovered back in the 1990s was that the faster a substance hits the brain, the more apt we are as a result to act compulsively, impulsively. So they sort of speak about tobacco and alcohol and drug products in terms of the speed that they hit the brain. But it turns out that there's nothing faster than food in ... its ability to sort of hit the brain. ...

For me, this puts kind of the notion of "fast food" in an entirely new light. In fact, I like to call what we're talking about here "fast groceries" — that 90% of the middle part of the grocery store. We refine these things, because everything about the processed food industry is about speed, from the manufacturing to the packaging — making it easy for us to open up those packages and get at the food — to the actual speed of their products exciting our brains.

Michael Moss is an investigative reporter who formerly worked for The New York Times, where he won a Pulitzer Prize for his investigation into the dangers of contaminated meat.

Daniel Sheehan/Penguin Random House

On the language these food companies use internally

Not just at Kraft, but at other companies, they use other language that's kind of startling when they talk about maximizing the allure of their products. They talk about engineering "snackability" and "crave-ability" and one of my favorite words, hearing from them is "more-ishness," as in, the person eating [and] wanting more and more of it. These aren't English majors; these are bench chemists and psychologists and marketing executives sort of talking about their efforts to maximize that.

We by nature are drawn to food that has calories, because for much of our previous existence, getting calories was a life or death thing.

Michael Moss

On why we are naturally drawn to high-calorie foods

We by nature are drawn to food that has calories, because for much of our previous existence, getting calories was a life or death thing. It enabled us to put on some body fat, which enabled our brains to grow and us to get through hard times and have more babies.

On if the food industry is knowingly trying to get us addicted

I've been crawling through this industry for 10 years now, and I still resist the idea of looking at them as this evil empire that intentionally set out to make us obese or otherwise ill on their products. These are companies doing what all companies want to do — make as much money [as they can]. But I think ... the problem lies in, kind of, their own dependence on making their products inexpensive and super yummy and incredibly convenient for us. And now that more and more people are caring about what they're put in their bodies and are wanting to eat healthier, these companies are finding it really difficult to meet that new demand because of their own addiction, if you will, to making these convenience foods. ...

In much of the industry, there really isn't a smoking gun. They wear their marketing schemes and their psychology and the things they go after, kind of, on the sleeves. You can see it on the packages, except for the way that they go after sort of our basic biology — that you can't see on their products. And I think that that's what made Hooked so interesting for me, was looking at the things that they're doing that aren't on the product label that cause us to lose control of our eating habits.

Sam Briger and Thea Chaloner produced and edited the audio of this interview. Bridget Bentz, Molly Seavy-Nesper and Deborah Franklin adapted it for the Web.

6 reasons why women should not give up on strength training

 

Make sure you focus on proper form and technique to avoid injuries!

Women are often told that the most effective workout for weight loss is practising cardio like running on the treadmill, Zumba or aerobics. Not only that, often many try to ditch the strength training because it gives their body a slightly masculine look. This, however, is not true.

“But, this is a misconception. On the contrary, strength training is hugely beneficial for women. It will not only help them lose weight faster, and achieve better health but also gain strength and confidence” says Mr Jitendra Chouksey, Founder of FITTR.

Check out these 6 reasons to get you started with strength training!

Facilitates efficient fat loss

It has been found that women have about 6 to 11 per cent more body fat than men.  When one Includes strength training in their workout routine, it helps develop muscles and burns fat faster says Chouksey.

It also speeds up the metabolic rate, which aids faster absorption of nutrients. More importantly, strength training helps in burning calories not only during the workout but also while the body is at rest. “The reason is – muscles need more energy to sustain as well as repair after strength training. Therefore, strength training is an effective way to achieve fat loss” he explains.

Promotes healthy bones

There are several studies to suggest that strength training for women helps increasing bone density over a period of time, and makes bones stronger. As a result, the chances of women developing age-related osteoporosis are reduced considerably. Moreover, stronger bones and increased muscle mass can help bring better flexibility and balance.

Reduces risk of cardiovascular diseases and diabetes

“According to a study by National Institute on Aging (NIA) and Harvard Medical School, women averaging 62.6 years, who did any type of regular strength training, achieved a 30 per cent reduction in the incidence of type 2 diabetes (T2D)” says Chouksey.

Additionally, their risk of developing cardiovascular disease dropped by 17 per cent. Experts believe that strength training plays an important role in reducing the risk of various cardiovascular diseases and diabetes.

Decreases stress and anxiety

Strength training requires focus and concentration, which, in turn, help in channelising energy. Endorphins released during exercise gets us pumped up, improving our mood.

“This helps in diverting your mind from all the stress and other problems. Resistance training at a low-to-moderate intensity produces the most reliable and robust decrease in anxiety and stress, according to research. Plus, achieving a fit body can work wonders for our confidence” he adds.

Better sleep quality

After working out, our body requires rest to rejuvenate. Therefore, if one has trouble falling asleep or wants to improve the quality of sleep, strength training really works. A heavy workout can help in calming the body into a deeper sleep to help drive the rejuvenation process.

Enhances strength

“Weight training is one of the best ways to improve strength in areas such as the core, legs, lower back and upper body. This, in turn, enhances a woman’s ability to perform daily activities at work and home with ease” lastly adds Chouksey.