In the March "Happiness" issue of Whole Living (on newsstands February 14), we interviewed former boxer Michael Olajide Jr. about how to fix a bad mood fast.
Not surprisingly, his solution is punching -- and jumping, and skipping -- away your aggression with an intensive plyometric workout.
What resulted from that interview was a really fun feature, and a really rewarding workout designed to help you "lighten up" and turn around a bad day.
Exercise + Music = Instant Good Mood
Besides exercise, we also know that music can have a big effect on your mood. (Not coincidentally, music can also have a big effect on your fitness performance, as well.) So it made sense that we also talk to someone who knows music -- and exercise -- to get his take on our "bad day" workout as well.
"While music can certainly add a little pizazz to your workout, it can also help keep you in the zone," Chris Lawhorn tells me. Lawhorn operates runhundred.com, a site that compiles music based on beats per minute and matches them to various workout activities. Each month, Lawhorn reviews and posts a few hundred new songs with good workout potential; you can even sign up to receive email notifications of new music.
We asked Lawhorn to give us some music that would both boost our mood and help get us through the jump rope workout designed for this story. "Namely, a conditioning jump rope workout generally requires 150-155 revolutions per minute," he explains. "To that end, you can use songs within a similar beats per minute (BPM) range to help keep you on track."
Here are a few samples Lawhorn put together, available for purchase from iTunes. Grab a jump rope, check out the workout, and give them a try -- and let us know how you feel afterward!
Jump-Rope Workout Playlist
Fall Out Boy & John Mayer - Beat It (150 BPM)
Metro Station - Shake It (150 BPM)
Billy Joel - You May Be Right (151 BPM)
Drake - Over (152 BPM)
The Killers - Spaceman (152 BPM)
U2 & Green Day - The Saints Are Coming (152 BPM)
Pearl Jam - The Fixer (152 BPM)
Elton John - Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting (152 BPM)
Fatboy Slim - The Rockafeller Skank (152 BPM)
Outkast - B.O.B. (154 BPM)
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From: elliemae | 3/22/11 at 6:49 am
I am surprised that you would support music with Explicit language. We really should be able to communicate without the disrespectful language that so many of these so called artists feel are necessary to make a dollar.
Disappointed as i am an avid music lover and have taught classes to all ages now for over 25 years!
From: news feed | 2/7/13 at 5:43 am
I will right away snatch your rss as I can't to find your email subscription link or e-newsletter service. Do you have any? Kindly allow me understand so that I could subscribe. Thanks.