Are you too sedentary? Try using music to get off the couch.
The Covid pandemic has made it easy for some of us to slip into a sedentary lifestyle. With social distancing, lockdowns, uncertainty, and cold, yucky weather it can be hard to motivate yourself to exercise.
I didn’t notice how much a sedentary lifestyle was affecting me until I started experiencing mild back pain. I knew I had to get more exercise in my day.
A couple of years ago, my husband purchased a second-hand treadmill from his chiropractor. After trying it once or twice, it sat unused collecting dust and eventually became a spot to store boxes of belongings. My parents had warned us that this often happens with exercise equipment. Now, I’m really glad we have it as I have been using it three to five times a week over the past few months.
I started out doing just 10 minutes per session. It was hard to stay motivated and it was very boring. I tried watching a TV show on my tablet computer and this helped pass the time. What really helped a lot was watching old music videos on YouTube that have a good dance beat. I went from 10 minutes up to 40 minutes varying the speed of the treadmill. I always warm up with a slow pace, gradually increase to a moderate pace and finally increase to a brisk walk. I alternate between a moderate and brisk walk before cooling down with a slow pace. My back pain seems to have disappeared and on the days I use the treadmill, I notice an improvement in my mood – something much needed during these unprecedented times.
Having the treadmill is very handy but if I didn’t have it, I’d probably be dancing in my living room. I may start doing that once in a while for a change in movement. I have created some YouTube playlists with great dance songs and have embedded them in this post so you all can try this out. If you don’t have a treadmill just get up and dance or move around however you want. The important thing is to move.
Given the times, I chose songs that have positive, upbeat lyrics. Check out the menu below for specific music genres. If you’re like me and have a fairly broad music palette, you can cycle through all the playlists to keep things interesting. I am working on more playlists so stay tuned for new options. You can also browse all the music styles by clicking through the page numbers. Accessing the videos through my website seems to be filtering out all those annoying commercials that pop up in between songs – so that’s a definite plus!
Stay healthy, stay safe! 🍏
| 80s and 90s Dance & Rap | Lower Intensity – Various Genres |
| 70s Dance / Disco | All Beatles (under construction) |
| Rock Classics – 60s, 70s & 80s | Coming Soon: Modern Hits |
| Coming soon: 50s & 60s rock ‘n’ roll | Coming soon: Movie & Theatre hits |
Above feature image by fizkes photo / Shutterstock.com.
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