Why You Need to Pump Up Your Workout With Music

Do you listen to music while working out? Livestrong.com explains how music can help during our workouts!

By KIRSTEN POTENZA and CRISTINA PEERENBOOM

No matter how different we are, we all have one striking thing in common: music. Listen and you'll hear an aural confirmation of our musical obsession. Whether it's taking us on a journey during our favorite TV show or movie or setting the tone at a party or on a romantic dinner, music is everywhere.

Our human connection to music runs deeper than we initially thought -- it's far more than just something we listen to for fun and enjoyment. New research is uncovering the power of applying music to exercise. Although we often experience music as just background noise in daily life, our brains hear it and respond to it in unique ways.

Our need for music is almost beyond our conscious control. A study conducted by M. Schwartzmiller and republished by the American Council on Exercise proved that if there's music playing during our workouts, we naturally and subconsciously follow the basic tempo with our bodies' movements. When that tempo increases, so does our exercise output, proving that when you bump up the tempo of your playlist, the intensity of your workout follows.

In fact, music was recently coined "a type of legal performance-enhancing drug" by scientist Costas Karageorghis. Through his research, Karageorghis proved that if we make the effort to sync up our movements to music, seven percent less oxygen is required to do the same exact physical task as participants who do not sync to the music.

The best part of all? Music changes our perception of how difficult our workout tasks are. Exercising with music allows for increased physical output without feeling like we're working any harder than usual, which was recently proved by Matthew Stork and published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. We feel "distracted" from the pain, exertion and repetition of exercise when listening to our favorite playlist, so we're able to work out harder for longer.

New research reveals that these music-driven physical benefits are boosted even more when participants don't just work out to the beat, but instead become responsible for the beat. This term, called "musical agency," by cognitive neuroscientist Dr. Tom Fritz, can be experienced when you can hear your body working -- or taking it a step further, when you feel your movements controlling the beat.

You experience this when you punch a punching bag and hear the quality, precision and intensity of your strikes reflected in how they sound. A strong sense of musical agency, according to a recent study, lowers perceived physical exertion and makes strenuous physical activities less physically exhausting.

Put these simple tips into action to burn more calories, increase your endurance and push through even the most challenging workout.

1. Turn your favorite song into an interval workout. Double your pace and sprint each time you hear the chorus (the part of the song that repeats). This automatically designs a perfect three- to five-minute interval workout. And if you create a 12-song playlist, you'll have a great 30- to 50-minute interval workout in the bag.

2. Listen to your body working. Turn your body into an instrument by listening to your movements. Take note of how your feet sound on the pavement or how loud you are when you kick a punching bag. Maybe even clap your hands to make a little noise during exercises like squats or lunges.

3. Sync to the beat. Find the basic downbeat and time your movements to it. Run to the tempo of a fast-paced song, weight train to a medium-cadence jam and walk to a moderately paced tune. Make sure each step, stroke and move is timed to the downbeat to maximize your workout.

4. Turn your body into an instrument. For workouts in which you can hear your body working, burn more calories and stress by getting louder. Associating a sound with a move provides your body and brain with powerful feedback that will improve coordination, timing, precision and spatial awareness.

– Kirsten and Cristina
Reprinted from Livestrong.com

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/blog/need-pump-workout-music#ixzz3JLsrdQjr

19 Ways to Trick Yourself Into Becoming a Morning Person

By Kelly Fitzpatrick, Life by DailyBurn
Let’s start with the bad news: Only about 1 in 10 people is a true morning person, according to The Body Clock Guide to Better Health. The good news is, only 2 in 10 fall into the category of night owls, while the rest fall somewhere in between. Better still: Even if you operate best in the wee hours of the night, you can still train yourself to be an early riser. Here’s how.

Plan Ahead

Waking well-rested starts with getting enough sleep. “Hitting the snooze button a couple times before getting up is a clear sign of sleep deprivation,” says Nathaniel Watson, MD, president-elect of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. “If you are getting enough sleep, you should be able to wake up on time without a morning alarm.” Sounds easier said than done? First, follow these tips for catching the zzz’s you need to wake refreshed.

Practice good sleep hygiene“Keeping a consistent sleep schedule is one of the best ways to ensure you’re getting quality, restful sleep,” says Dr. Watson. If you need to shift your schedule earlier, start moving your bedtime forward by just 15 minutes at a time. Adjustments more drastic than that will keep you rebounding between early and late bedtimes rather than creating lasting change.

Take your time

Balancing your own well-being against other personal and professional responsibilities is tough. Often, finding the right work-life equilibrium starts with saying “No,” and so does getting enough sleep. Pare down your evening commitments so that you’ve got an hour completely blocked off to wind down before bed.

Implement a routine
Establishing a schedule can help clue our bodies in to what’s to come. Maintaining a regular evening routine will help chill you out and let your mind know that it’s nearly time to fall asleep. For example, that could mean drinking a cup of (decaffeinated) tea and reading for 20 minutes each evening before bed.

Nap cautiously

If you have a sleep debt to repay, it’s better to nap during the day than to mess up your nightly sleep schedule. That said, you don’t want a daytime snooze to keep you up at night. (For more napping tips head here!)

Eat (and drink) smart
Some experts caution against going to bed too full or too hungry, as the discomfort may keep you awake. The same goes for drinking: Sipping too much before bed can cause mid-slumber trips to the bathroom, and caffeine and alcohol in particular have been shown to disrupt sleep.

Power down

Any kind of light can shift circadian rhythms, making it harder to sleep at night. And if you’re constantly plugged in, you’re even less likely to hit the hay right away. Research has shown that the blue light emitted by electronics like laptops and cell phones disturbs sleep even more than natural light. Turn off those electronic screens at least an hour before bed to make dozing easier.

Prep before bed

Wondering what to do with that electronic-free hour? Use the time to get together anything you’ll need in the a.m.—like a healthy lunch, make-ahead breakfast, or a gym bag. Shortening your morning to-do list just might make it easier to roll out of bed.

Get cozy

Temperature, noise, light and comfort can all impact your ability to sleep well. A cool, quiet room (around 65 degrees) has been shown to be an effective sleep environment. And if your mattress leaves you achy, you’ve got a good excuse to upgrade—your health may depend on it! The offers even more recommendations for tweaking all of these for better sleep.

Check out more tips on becoming a morning person at DailyBurn.
reprinted from Health.com

Sneaky Ways to Get Your Kids to Eat and Be Healthy

Livestrong.com blogger Jennifer Christman offers up some sneaky ways to get your kids to eating healthy!

By JENNIFER CHRISTMAN

When it comes to getting kids to be healthy, many parents struggle. Competing priorities, such as busy schedules and dealing with temptations, can derail the best intentioned plans. Below are a few tips to help parents easily sneak in healthy foods and behaviors into every day.

[Read More: The Truth About "Healthy" Cereals]

Get Creative. Cut fruits and vegetables into fun, easy-to-grab shapes. Add a low-fat dip and you have a perfect snack for young children, especially toddlers. For picky eaters, you can purée fruits or vegetables and add them to existing recipes. Macaroni and cheese is popular with kids, and it's a great opportunity to add some puréed butternut squash or cauliflower.

Make Fruit the Dessert. Don't be afraid to experiment with puréeing fruits. You can turn almost any fruit into a popsicle. Purée some watermelon, banana or cantaloupe, pour it into a popsicle mold with sticks and you have an ice cream-like dessert that's healthy.

[Read More: Foods to Keep Out of Your Kitchen]

Mix It Up. Some kids are turned off by certain vegetables because of the bitter taste. Solution? Mix bitter vegetables with sweeter ones. Try adding spinach to sweet potatoes. These two vegetables are an unlikely pair, but extremely colorful and loaded with nutrients.

Get Involved. Have your kids help find new recipes, make the grocery list and shop. This gives them a sense of ownership in the decision-making process.

At the grocery store, let them choose which foods they want and are willing to try. Once you get home, involve them in the prep and cooking of the meal. If they're involved from the beginning, they'll be more proud of their accomplishment and want to share their healthy meal with the family.

Be a Role Model. It isn't a surprise that the main role models for children are mom and dad. When parents take the lead on exhibiting healthy behaviors, the kids are already ahead of the game. Take a close look at how you react to healthy foods. Do you turn your nose up at green beans or Brussels sprouts?

[Read More: Make Your Own Paleo Girl Scout Cookies]

Children are sponges and tend to mimic whatever their parents do. Reacting positively to healthy foods shows children that they taste good and are good for you. Even if kids don't like the food, they may change their attitudes over time, solely based on the parents' reactions.

Have Fun as a Family. Exercise can sound like work to some people, but consider fun activities that you can do as a family -- hiking, playing tag, kicking a ball, dancing and swimming, to name a few. When parents set the agenda for activities, the exercise just naturally sneaks its way in there.

Create Active Chores. This one is a win-win for parents and kids. Create a competition around active chores, such as putting clothes away, cleaning or yard work -- whoever wins gets a prize. Creating competition can help motivate kids to kick their efforts into high gear.

Invest the Time. Last, but not least, take the time to research interests and foods that your family enjoys together. Taking the time from the beginning can help ensure that these sneaky tips will work themselves into your everyday life and become habits.

--Jennifer

Readers -- How do you get your kids to eat healthy foods? Do you have to "trick" them into eating vegetables? If so, how? Have you tried any of the tips mentioned? Leave a comment below and let us know!

Jennifer Christman, RD, LDN, is the clinical nutrition manager at Medifast, Inc. Jennifer helps organize all of the nutrition content that goes into our marketing materials. When she's not busy tracking the latest and greatest nutrition information, she's helping guide our clients and customers on their weight-loss journeys. Jennifer brings more than 10 years of experience as a registered dietitian and is passionate about getting you healthy.

reprinted from Livestrong.com