Favorite Work Out Songs

This is my second post in my health and workout series. As I stated last month I’m on the final countdown to the big 4-0 this year and am doing a series of posts focused on health and working out. This is not about weight loss or achieving a “bikini body.” After spending a year and a half with debilitating back pain and recently returning to pain-free living I have a new found love for my body and feel grateful for all it allows me to do. Honestly, working out and feeling the burn feels like such a privilege to me these days. The one goal is do have to be able to do 10 pull-ups by my 40th birthday. Thanks for following along!

As I said in my first post, these days I do a combination of yoga, work out videos and my own weight training workouts. I really only listen to music when doing my own workouts as the other two I follow while doing a video. When it comes to work out music I know everyone has a little different take on it. Overall it seems that most people want high energy and a good beat. That being said, I find that “a good beat” is sorta code for hip-hop/rap. Now you’ll see plenty of hip-hop and rap on my play list, but for me a good beat doesn’t only apply to those genres. I’ve got a wide range of songs that get me pumped up when I’m working out ranging from punk, to ska, to rap, to rock, and even indie.

But here’s the other thing, I think we’re all motivated by different things when we work out–some people like working out with a friend or a classroom setting as being around other people provides motivation, other people enjoy running while listening to books on tape, that’s their motivation. But here’s my thing… I have this bit of a rock star alter ego and so when I’m working out, I imagine myself on stage playing or singing the song. Either that or it has to be a song I love lip syncing to (which is often hip-hop or rap). I’m not making this up… I think it’s just the bad-a factor of feeling like a rock star somehow translates into more of a bad-a workout mood. Funny right? But totally works for me. Which is also why not all of my songs are that fast, but they’re motivating for me. So they work.

So here is a play list of some of my all-time favorite work out songs. It’s hard to narrow it down to 10, but I tried to get a wide range of styles, with some being more recent and some being my tried and true, hopefully something on there will resonate with you as well.

1. Paradise City– Guns ‘n Roses (seriously, such a good starter song as there’s the slow build up to full on crazy… I love this one)
2. Bad Girls– MIA
3. Izzo–Jay-Z (cuss alert unless you get radio edit)
4. Stupid Kid–Alkaline Trio
5. Let Me Clear My Throat– DJ Kool (GD alert) 
6. Dog Days are Over–Florence and the Machine
7. Giants–Bear Hands
8. OPP–Naughty By Nature (as a white, monogamous, Mormon woman I live the irony of lip syncing this song… probably my all time favorite song to lip sync.) 
9. Healthy Body, Sick Mind–Operation Ivy
10. To Kingdom Come–Passion Pit

Here’s a link to my play list on Spotify if you want to check it out!

Ok your turn, gimme all your best work out songs! Also, what motivates you when you’re working out? Any other wanna be rock stars out there?