I watch other people at the gym. There are the extra-dedicated dudes putting time in on the elliptical with nothing but a grimace and a waterfall of sweat pouring off them. Then there are the super-toned babes on the treadmill, making it look like it ain't no thang while they read the latest issue of Shape. Everyone else usually has some color of little earbud jammed in their ears, and you can kind of tell what sort of music they're listening to by the faraway looks and the variations in pacing.
Me? I fall in that last group. I used to try reading whilst on the stationary bike or the treadmill, but I found that the physical activity made it difficult to concentrate on my reading, and that's probably counter to my goals. I figure that this is because reading has been a lifelong comfort activity for me - typically, I either read in bed, or in a hot bathtub full of bubbles up to my neck, with a glass of red wine by my side.
What?! Quiet, you, or I'll whack you with my Kindle. Or my corkscrew. Red wine is good for you!
Anyway...when engaging in training/exercise activities, I much prefer to crank up the jams (and sometimes sing along, which can be a little awkward if you do it in public, but what the hell). The question then becomes "What's on the playlist?"
The answer is "It depends." Longtime friends and acquaintances know that I took quite a few years of bellydance classes, and still dance on the regular to maintain muscle memory, amuse myself and my friends, and to keep limber. I tend to use bellydance to warm up before hitting the weights or hopping into cardio. My warmup list includes things like:
Bassnectar & Kraddy - Snakecharmer (Great video with Rachel Brice!)
Roustabout (Bassnectar Remix)
Moon Over Ala Nar
No Gravity
Simarik
Inertia Creeps (State Of Bengal Mix)
There's nothing like a good shimmy to get a girl motivated to do some harder work, right? Well, that and it's fun to see who's trying to watch surreptitiously and try to figure out how a fat chick can move with such fluidity. Also, when else do you get to drape your ass in shiny things and shake it for all you're worth?
Now I find myself tasked with creating a playlist that will eventually get me through a 100 miles on my bike. Bike MS estimates that if I ride at a "social" pace, I will be on my bike for five hours each day. I'm pretty sure that The Vita-Guru has plans for us to ride a smidge faster than that, but I figure I ought to come up with a ten hour playlist anyway. Obviously, Queen's Bicycle Race
is a must, but what else? As I child of the 80s, I find myself well motivated by 80s music, so I'm thinking:Have A Nice Day
Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)
Rock Me Amadeus (Extended Version)
Eye Of The Tiger
Rock Of Ages (Pyromania)
Pump Up The Volume (UK 12" Remix)
Sauerland
(What? I lived in Germany in the late 80s!)Things Can Only Get Better
...for a start, anyway. I suppose I could just dump all of my music onto my phone and set it to shuffle, but I'm pretty sure I've got some klinkers in there that would throw me off my pace!
Help me out, peeps! What other high energy songs should I be adding to my playlist to keep me motivated to pedal onward? I'd love to hear your suggestions!
--Missy, the Fat Bottomed Girl
