What's On Your Playlist?

I LOVE music! When I was a child, I used to make up my own songs while I was playing or doing chores. I was always singing. I pick up lyrics to songs after only hearing them a couple of times. Music is a pretty integral party of who I am. I love singing and I love to have music around me on a regular basis. And frequently, you can find me singing in the car or around the house or in my office at work.

Music is also a HUGE motivator for me in my cardio workouts. I confess that during strength training (unless I am on my own and have my iPod), I generally don't pay much attention to the music playing in the background at the gym. Frankly, the times I have noticed it, it's generally because they are always playing the same thing or it's something so terribly inappropriate for a family facility that it disturbs me. Gyms realize, however, that music is a huge motivator for working out too and they generally try to tailor their music to the crowds. (Occasionally I think they do a pretty poor job of this!) But at least they try!

My taste in music varies quite a bit! I am constantly adding new music to my playlists and a lot of times there is music on there that would surprise most people. For example, one of my guilty pleasures is that I happen to like some of Miley Cyrus' songs. Yeah, I will admit to it! There are lots of artists on my playlists that would cause others to make lots of jokes and laugh out loud! But, it doesn't bother me. Music is an outlet for me. So, if it's something I like, then I go with it!

Here's a sampling of some songs on my current running playlist:

Your Love Is My Drug by Ke$ha
Live Like We're Dying by Kris Allen
I Wanna Be Sedated by The Ramones
Step Up by Drowning Pool
The Distance by Cake
Stronger by Kanye West
The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner by Iron Maiden
The Promise by In This Moment
Highway to Hell by AC/DC
Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen
Pressing On by Relient K
When Your Heart Stops Beating by +44
Unstoppable by Rascal Flatts
Kicking and Screaming by Miley Cyrus
Here I Am by Skid Row
Best I Can by Queensryche
Lose Yourself by Eminem
Not Afraid by Eminem
Thnks Fr Th Mmrs by Fall Out Boy
Whataya Want From Me by Adam Lambert
Hey Soul Sister by Train
Get Back Up by Toby Mac
Through the Fire and Flames by Dragonforce
Get the Party Started by P!nk
Party Up (Up in Here) by DMX
I Am Free by Newsboys
Sexyback by Justin Timberlake

And that is just a very small sampling. I change up my playlists every month or so...that is usually about as long as I can stand to listen to the same music over and over again. But I do occasionally add back songs later because I know they motivate me and if I add them in with new songs, it's pretty great.

The really great thing about my workout mixes is that certain songs will really push me to push the edges of what I think I can do. I may set goals during my workout based on songs, for example, I will run at a certain speed for the length of a song. That occasionally gets me in trouble because I am notorious for picking a 6 minute long song to run at 7.0 mph! But it also teaches me to endure and persevere!

So, what's on your playlist? Are you motivated to work harder when listening to music?