Music is muchos important when I'm working out...

Music plays a significant part of my life, it always has done. I love a lot of different genres of music, I sing in my car (loudly!), I love going to gigs and I met my husband when we played in the same brass band (LOL).

But I never thought music would be important to me in the gym.

Now I am an indie girl through and through. My musical tastes are firmly rooted with Stone Roses, Shed 7, Oasis, Suede, Blur, Elastica, Kasabian, Arctic Monkeys etc

But since I have been going to the gym my tastes have started to shift. I now profess to enjoy dance, trance, drum 'n' bass and dubstep (this last one earns me lots of kudos with the pupils I teach).

Now when I first started at the gym I wasn't taking much notice of the music but I have noticed certain tracks help  my motivation and effort more that others. The only indie track that has motivated me is "Bet that you look good on the dance floor" - arctic monkeys. But everything else that I normally listen to makes me feel sluggish and sleepy.

But "Silhouettes" - Avicii is one of my faves for a bit of motivation. Beat is important and a strong bass line seems to help.

So I have been trying to figure out why music makes such a difference to my work out. The only conclusion I can draw is that when I am in the gym I need to focus. If there was no music, I would be thinking about work and stressing about how many pupils are not meeting their benchmark etc. I find it incredibly hard to switch off. The other thing is it stops me thinking about how heavy the kettlebells are or how many more burpees I need to do or the fact my thighs feel like they are about to bust. Music gives my brain something else to think about, it is a distraction but without distracting me from my circuit.

One thing I have learnt is I can't wear headphones and exercise. It makes me feel super dizzy. So I do have to listen to what is on in the gym at the time. Fortunately I usually like what is on, except when they play One Direction, then not so much.

So here is my top 5 gym favourites at the moment, none of them are overly recent but they are the ones that are motivating me atm. (NB the Indie girl inside me cringes at this list btw!) :

• "Bassline" - Reverend and the Makers
  
• "Icon - Benga"
  
• "#thatPower" - Will.I.Am feat Justin Beiber
  
• "Thinking about you "- Calvin Harris
  
• "Magnetic Eyes" - Matrix & Futurebound

Oh and FWIW, "I think we're alone now" by Tiffany off of the 80s is not a good gym tune, fortunately it didn't come on till I was leaving today LOL

H x