Listening to Music Makes You Exercise More Efficiently
Many people listen to music as they exercise. Experts say
that listening to music not only makes exercise seem easier, it really does make it easier. The rhythmic beat helps synchronize movements which promotes more efficient oxygen use. That makes you more efficient, so you can run longer. The music also helps drown out the voice in your head that's saying "let's stop now and have ice cream." Sports psychologist Costas Karageorghis of Britain's Brunel University has been researching the issue for twenty years.
According to Kargeorghis, there are four factors that contribute to a song's motivational qualities: rhythm response, musicality, cultural impact and association.
The first two are known as "internal" factors as they relate to the music's structure while the second two are "external" factors that reflect how we interpret the music. Rhythm response is tied to the beats per minute (bpm) of the song and how well it matches either the cadence or the heartbeat of the runner. A song's structure such as its melody and harmony contribute to its musicality. The external factors consider our musical background and the preferences we have for a certain genre of music and what we have learned to associate with certain songs and artists.
Picking the right music can have several benefits.
Syncing beats per minute with an exercise pace increases your efficiency. In a recent study, subjects who cycled in time to music found that they required 7 percent less oxygen to do the same work when compared to music playing in the background. Music can also help block out the little voice in your brain telling you its time to quit. Research shows that this dissociation effect results in a 10 percent reduction in perceived effort during treadmill running at a moderate intensity.
In one study, those that listened to music while exercising had a 15 percent improvement in endurance. For professional athletes that is a huge difference which could be the difference in winning a marathon. For exercisers, it means that you can go much longer thereby burning more calories.
