Fun fact: I was a long-distance runner when I was younger. I stopped running extensively and competitively in high school at the advice of trainers since I had developed chronic tendonitis in both ankles, and it had gotten to the point where I was icing every day for two hours to get the swelling to go down only to watch the swelling return the next day after a practice run. Nowadays, I settle for the elliptical (easier on the ankles), but I guess that ingrained tendency to push myself has stayed because I can't ever make myself do a "light" cardio workout. For me, either I feel as though I've pushed myself working out or it's not a workout, which is why I often don't work out at all if I feel as though I won't have the time or energy to do a "hard" workout. Bad, I know, but what can I say? Runners are gluttons for punishment, but I'm working on joining the "you either ran today or didn't" camp. It's a work in progress. Aside from good running shoes (I wear ASICS), appropriate workout gear, and a water bottle, I find music to be absolutely crucial for me when I work out. I pick songs that I like and will get me pumped up. I try to arrange my playlist so that the hardest parts of my workout correspond to an intense song.
My current playlist (cheekily called "feel the burn"):
beginning
downtown. lady antebellum || american girl. tom petty & the heartbreakers || pumped up kicks. foster the people || give a little. hanson (don't judge, you know hanson rocks)
middle
end
empire state of mind. jay-z feat. alicia keys || another one bites the dust. queen || blow me (one last kiss). pink || lose yourself. eminem
cool down
all this and heaven too. florence & the machine
I change my playlist every week or so, so it doesn't get boring. I usually have a ton of Beyonce on any workout playlist I make, but I just realized that I don't have a single Beyonce song on this one. ::adding 'single ladies' to playlist right now:: ;)
What's on your playlist?
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