The right song
For me music is a mood lifter.
It just takes a minute to set the mood. Usually, when people talk about mood music they are referring to setting the mood for an elegant dinner party or an evening of romance. But, mood music is so much more than just dinner and ‘dessert’.
The right song can shake a lack of confidence, put some sparkle in a ho-hum routine, shine light in the remains of a tough day, ignite a happy memory and remind me what I have to be thankful for.
Luke Bryan
In July 2014, my family attended the Luke Bryan concert. At the time, I was in-between visits to Florida to help with my dad who was in ICU. My husband was ramping up his care for his mom who had lung cancer. You can say we were in the thick of the family squeeze. We were rightfully crabby but we just went through the motions and got to the concert…mostly for our daughter who was looking forward to going. Our crabbiness was contagious because I remember our kids were being slimy boogers. We had great seats thanks to Jason’s company being a corporate sponsor. Once Luke entered the stage for a second time (the first time the power went out on him! He said his kid unplugged something backstage!), we stepped away from our heavy reality and escaped into a toe-tapping hand-clapping concert. I’ve been a bigger fan of Luke Bryan ever since.
Happy days
Similarly, I remember taking my mom to a doctor’s visit in Atlanta. We were arguing. Mom was mad for making her sell her condo and move so quickly after dad’s passing and she was unhappy with the level of care she was getting at her assisted living facility and I was retaliating because I truly felt and still feel that we made the best decisions for her mental and physical health. My mom also tended to get flustered when she had to leave her apartment and I frustrated her because I made her move faster than she would like. I finally got smart and stayed silent in the car ride to the appointment but turned on the XM 50’s channel. I quickly noticed that music significantly helped lift my mom’s spirits. Listening to songs that brought back happier days lightened things up quite a bit.
Make your own fun
When I have a yucky chore to do…I turn the music up L O U D! Whether I’m weeding in the yard, cleaning the house, or food prepping for the week…music makes the time pass and the job somewhat fun! Snow White knew what she was doing when she whistled while she worked.
Spotify Playlists
Like many of you, music is vital to my workouts. I’m constantly listening for new songs to add to my Spotify workout playlist. I love songs that energize me and have strong words of encouragement. I dare you to listen to ‘The Spark’ by Afrojack and not feel like you can conquer anything. ‘Shake It’ by Metro Station is another favorite that when it comes on during my workout I can kick it up a notch. I recently discovered Spotify’s Running feature that pairs songs to your running temp. My favorite part of the Spotify Running feature is that it chops off any of the slower buildups at the beginning of a song and quickly transitions between the songs. It’s so fun and easy to use! Here’s how:
1. In the main navigation of the app choose ‘Running’.
2. Pick one of their Running Playlists. I like ‘Recommended for You’ or ‘Upbeat Run’.
3. Then either start running to detect your tempo or you can opt to skip this step and the application will default to 160 steps/min. This default pace works well for my interval jog/power walk pace.
I’m always looking for a new addition to my playlists. What’s your favorite current workout tune? What’s a song you like to chill or sing a long to on a car ride? Please share in the comments below.
