Please! Don't Stop the Music

When it comes to physical activity, there are reasons scientifically proven to make music a priority. Here are some of them:

Cardio respiratory training

Even though heart rates during exercise vary from one person to the other; in most occasions, the Bpm of a track sets the speed of your training. Bpm stands for beats per minute. While 120-135 Bpm songs will likely increase your heart rate from 55% up to 65%, the songs with 130 - 150 Bpm may challenge your fitness level, and your heart rate will probably range from 65% to 85%.

Productivity/Performance

We all know either consciously or unconsciously what a working song is. Most of us have sung "clean up, clean up, everybody clean up" to children to get them put their toys away, well that works with adults too. If you have heard Day O (better known as the Banana Boat Song) by Harry Belafonte, the chorus was inspired by a working tune sung by dock workers loading bananas onto ships during the rise of Banana trade in Jamaica. Working songs are characterized by patterned rhythms, coordinated timing and the lyrics are generally connected to the task being performed. The truth is that a workout well done would be coordinated with a beat and most songs follow a patterned rhythim.

Pushes your limits

Researchers found that cyclists pedaled faster while listening to music and that they require 7% less oxygen when performing physical activity. The science behind it is that music prompts the brain to produce dopamine, which is a hormone that stimulates feelings of motivation. On the other hand, music attracts your attention, distracting you from thinking that you are tired.

Mental Health

The reason we should do physical activity lies on our overall well being, and mental health is the key of wellness. Music stimulates the brain to produce dopamine and serotonin which are known as some of the happy hormones. So please, for everybody's well being, do not stop the music.