And the beat goes on

Every good Hero or Heroine needs a great soundtrack. Something to keep your motivated when the chips are down and you feel like giving up. I have found that my iPod has become a very important part of my weight loss journey. I keep it stocked, charged and ready every day.

When it comes to the music on your playlist I find there are two types. There are the songs that are upbeat fast and fun and make you feel like dancing or moving. Something new and with a fast tempo like Dance, electronic or the new popular catchy song on the radio. I suggest updating your place list with new music around once a week so that you do not get bored. Then there are the motivational songs, old standby’s that help you remember your goal (Eye of the tiger, or the theme from the Biggest Loser). I find that these help on the days where I am too hard on myself and they help me refocus my efforts. Songs are short and you can easily change them to suit your mood or the tempo or the exercise you are doing.

Next thing I have on my iPod are podcasts. These are free radio style programs that can be as short at 5 mins to over an hour long in length. I find that these are great to listen to when you want to get lost in the media and not focus on the task that you are doing (like running or walking). I enjoy listening to them because they will either make me laugh or learn something. There are podcasts that speak on many different topics so I suggest just typing in your interests into iTunes and find one that you like. I find it is good to have a variety of podcasts on different subjects. Sometimes I will listen to my “Learn Japanese” podcast, “Star Talk” with astrophysics Dr.Neil DeGrasse Tyson or the comedy show “Smodcast” with Kevin Smith & Scott Mosier. I have started listening to a variety of fitness podcasts so I will review them at a future date.

Finally we have the audiobook. Between work and working out I don’t have a lot of time to read and sometimes carrying around a massive book is not always practical. When I download an audiobook, I get a master storyteller weaving me into a different world. I have listened to the Hunger Games series, The Sookie Stackhouse Series, even Stephen King books all via audiobook and for a price similar to that of actually buying the book itself. I find these make a workout fly by and similar to the podcast help me to distance me from the task I’m doing.

I leave you with the quote of the week:

“Seriously, if you always put limits on what you can do, physical or anything else, it'll spread over into the rest of your life. It'll spread into your work, into your morality, into your entire being. There are no limits. There are plateaus, but you must not stay there, you must go beyond them. If it kills you, it kills you. A man must constantly exceed his level.” Bruce Lee