All I Do Is Win

Working out is one of my favorite things to do. It de-stresses me like nothing else, makes me feel great about myself, and offers some serious "me" time that I need, especially when I'm feeling overworked and scattered. It centers me. And I love the many varieties offered out there!

Over the years, I have tried numerous versions of "working out" and, though some were complete failures, most of the time I get it right. I danced all through high school, I've attended 24-hour gyms filled with equipment, I've been a part of gyms that offer fitness classes along with their equipment, I've taken cardio kickboxing at an MMA gym, I've taken Jazzercise classes, I've taken Zumba classes, and bootcamp classes and it goes on and on.

So, though my workout choices may have varied over the years, one thing remains constant throughout every workout...

My love of music!

Nothing feels better than popping in those ear buds and cranking up my tunes and getting lost in Sarahville for a while. Last night, for example, I was so much in my own zone that I didn't notice a guy trying to get my attention. He thought I had dropped some change on the ground and wanted to give it back. Aw. Then, later, I didn't notice another guy trying to tell me that the treadmill I chose for my post-weightlifting run "skipped" and that I may want to try another! I learned two things last night. I tune everything and everyone out, and, my gym is filled with really nice people! (When it's filled, that is. So far, on most nights I am one of a very few people in there and on weekends it's even less crowded than that. I love it.)

Anyway, with all that said...I thought I would share some of my favorite jams and the best times to use these songs during my stay. This isn't a full list, because I do change it up, so these are a few of what I am using now.

WARM UP RUN

Anything Radiohead. Thom Yorke has the ability to soothe me, and I usually choose Radiohead when I am stretching before, during, after, whenever. This music brings me away from my stressors of the day and prepares me for what is to come!

All I Do Is WIN - DJ Khaled, Snoop Dogg, T-Pain, Rick Ross - You are about to notice a funny trend here. For someone who almost exclusively prefers rock over rap, I have a lot of hip-hop/rap songs on my gym list. This song is usually my choice for a warm-up run because it gets me pumped.

Throughout the rest of my warm-up run, I try to listen to songs that are most currently making me smile and also continue to make me feel pumped, bada**, whatever it takes. I'm sure I look quite goofy running with a dopey grin on my face! Last night, for example, I chose Pink's Blow Me (One Last Kiss), Maroon 5's One Night, Rihanna's (ft. Drake) Take Care, and Usher's Scream.

ABS and ISH

After running a while and once my heart is thoroughly pumping, I'll head to the mat to work my abs, stretch some more, and generally veg out for the next 20-30 minutes. I have specific songs for specific things:

Calvin Harris - Feel So Close. Sometimes, when I'm on the mat and next to the heavyweight bags, I like to work my calves. This song rocks for that. The entire song, practically, has this groovy beat unh-duh-unh-duh-unh-duh that coincides magically with the up/down motion you make when you come up on your toes and back down flat-footed for that calf-screaming workout. If I can make it through the entire song, I consider myself awesome.

Madonna and Justin Timberlake - Remember their song, 4 minutes? Well, I plank to this one. :) We've only got 4 minutes to save the world! We're gonna save it by planking ourselves silly!

For ab work itself, my songs of choice will usually come from any of the pop divas, who, at any given point, have had midsections to die for - Britney, Christina, Lady Gaga, Beyonce to name a few.

WEIGHTS

After that, when I make my way to the areas of the gym where I can torture my back, arms, legs, whatever I'm doing that day, I'll go on autopilot and just play whatever can be on a continuous loop while I zone out. I usually go back to my rock n' roll roots for this so that I can jam while Dave and/or Josh, John, whomever of the Red Hot Chili Peppers wails on guitar, or while Jimmy Eat World plays me into punk-lovin' happiness.

RUNNING... again

Finally, I return to a treadmill for my post workout run and go back to a list of songs that just make me feel GOOD and HAPPY. Last night, I chose Muse's Madness, some Florence and the Machine, and I ended with Nicki Minaj - Pound the Alarm.

There you have it! Sarah's Workout Mix, October 3, 2012 style! What do you put in your ears while you do your thang? :)