• Listening to music improves one’s workout experience in more ways than one
• An online clothing store has shared Spotify’s global top ten runners’ songs 
• The number of beats per minute of these songs is one of the reasons why they’re so popular 

Listening to music while working out has been proven to up our enjoyment of exercise – while also improving the quality of our workout.

An analysis by SportShoes.com revealed the top ten songs on runners’ playlists around the world. This is based on data from the music streaming service Spotify. Some of the top genres include EDM (not surprisingly due to its movement-inducing beat), hip hop and pop.

The 10 most popular running songs on Spotify are:

1. Work B**ch – Britney Spears 

2. Blinding Lights – The Weeknd

3. Roses (Imanbek Remix) – SAINt JHN 

4. Eye of the Tiger – Survivor

5.Titanium (feat. Sia) – David Guetta 

6. Can’t Hold Us – (feat. Ray Dalton) – Macklemore & Ryan Lewis

7. Can’t Stop The Feeling! – Justin Timberlake

8. Uptown Funk (feat. Bruno Mars) – Mark Ronson

9. This Is What You Came For (feat. Rihanna) – Calvin Harris 

10. Lose Yourself – Eminem

SportsShoes.com attributes the “inspirational lyrics and driving beat” of “Work B**ch” By Britney Spears to being number one on the list. The number of beats per minute of each song was also included as a reason for the songs topping the list.

However, when it came to the top artist featured on running playlists, Calvin Harris came in first place. Other top artists include Eminem at number two, David Guetta at number three, Drake coming in fourth place followed by Kanye West, Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Avicii, Ed Sheeran and Pitbull at number ten. 

These songs also have high bpm (beats per minute) which range between 109 and 171 bpm. This could be another factor contributing to why they are a part of running routines around the world. 

According to a study in the Frontiers in Psychology, journal, music with higher tempos improves the quality of exercise. The Italian researchers stated: “We found that listening to high-tempo music while exercising resulted in the highest heart rate and lowest perceived exertion compared with not listening to music. This means that the exercise seemed like less effort, but it was more beneficial in terms of enhancing physical fitness.”

Interestingly, there is also a top ten list of Disney running songs. Number one on the Disney top ten list for runners is “When Will My Life Begin” from the 2010 movie “Tangled”. SportsShoes.com describes the track as being “the perfect warm-up track”.

The list compiled by SportsShoes.com is as follows:

1. When Will My Life Begin? – Mandy Moore – Tangled

2. Let It Go – Idina Menzel – Frozen

3. How Far I’ll Go – Auli’i Cravalho – Moana

4. You’re Welcome – Dwayne Johnson – Moana

5. Circle of Life – Carmen Twillie – The Lion King

6. Try Everything – Shakira – Zootopia

7. Go The Distance – Roger Bart – Hercules

8. Life is a Highway – Rascal Flatts – Cars

9. Be Our Guest – Angela Lansbury – Beauty & The Beast

10. I’ll Make a Man Out of You – Donny Osmond – Mulan

With research suggesting that working out with music has multiple benefits, it should be well worth giving some of these tracks a try for motivation and making workouts more fun. For advice on running and appropriate gear, visit SportsShoes.com

• Running a marathon requires specific abilities
• Scientists have long debated the requirements of being an elite marathon runner
• Data collected from the Breaking2 project reveal that oxygen and the way it is used play an important role

Running at a “two-hour marathon pace” requires specific physiological abilities. While these requirements have always been a great topic of debate, the actual demands had not been determined – until recently, that is. 

A recent study conducted by Professor Andrew Jones and a team of researchers revealed exactly what it takes – physiologically – for elite marathon runners to tackle a sub-two-hour marathon. The study was based on tests done on athletes participating in the Breaking2 project.

Higher oxygen intake

Breaking2 was a project initiated by Nike to break the two-hour barrier. Findings revealed that runners must possess a perfectly balanced rate of oxygen uptake (known as VO2 max), master moving efficiently and have a high lactate turnpoint. 

To test for these factors, 16 male distance runners took part in a detailed examination while running on a treadmill at a constant speed of 21.1km/h.

According to Professor Jones, “To run for two hours at this speed, athletes must maintain what we call ‘steady-state’ VO2. This means they meet their entire energy needs aerobically (from oxygen).”

Interestingly, 15 of the 16 runners from the study are from East Africa. It was also discovered that while running a marathon, elite runners take in twice as much oxygen as a normal person while sprinting.

Professor Jones expressed that a standout factor that differentiates these elite runners is that they show remarkable fatigue resistance.

This is because seem to know what their “critical speed” is and run just below this speed, thereby avoiding fatigue.

Eliud Kipchoge is an example of a runner with great fatigue resistance and was one of the participants of the study who ended up winning the marathon and breaking the two-hour barrier. 

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• You can burn 25% more calories with a skipping rope than with jogging
• Skipping is also beneficial for the heart and strengthens muscles
• If you’re recovering from any injuries, consult a professional before incorporating it into your workout

Skipping isn’t just for lazy childhood days or boxers; it can be a very beneficial addition to any exercise routine.

From burning calories to increasing heart rate to building muscle, it’s a low-cost tool that many athletes use to improve their game.

Here are a few of the benefits of jumping rope.

READ | Being a copy-cat might make it easier to achieve fitness goals 

Travels easily

Lightweight and compact, it’s pretty easy to throw into your suitcase. 

Just don’t whip it out at the airport.

Good for your heart

Any exercise is beneficial to your heart, and skipping compacts a whole lot of exercise into a small amount of time.

According to a 2013 study from Harvard, 10 minutes of skipping is as beneficial for cardiovascular health as 30 minutes of jogging.

This is perfect for people with a tight schedule.

READ MORE | Video games may sabotage fitness among college students 

Burns calories

According to Calories Burned HQ, jumping rope can help you burn 15 to 20 calories a minute, which is 25% more than running.

This makes skipping an effective tool to include in your weight loss journey. It’s also a type of interval training exercise proven to effectively target subcutaneous and abdominal body fat, according to a recent study. 

Strengthens muscles

Skipping tones upper and lower body muscles – especially calves and shoulders – and helps strengthen your core.

It is also good for sculpting your abs, if that’s the look you’re aiming for.

Improves coordination

Besides the physical benefits of this high-intensity workout, jumping rope also helps your brain to improve coordination.

In a study, children who play soccer started incorporating jumping rope into their practices and found that their motor coordination and balance were considerably improved.

If it’s been too long since you skipped, remember to take it slowly and jump low at the start to prevent getting tangled in the rope and falling flat on your face.

READ | A lifetime of fitness helps women’s muscles in old age 

What you should know

Before you start skipping your way to a healthier life, here are some things to consider: 

• When you buy a rope, it’s important that it’s not too light. A light rope won’t give you the momentum you need.
• Also don’t opt to go barefoot on this one. Wear trainers that fit well and offer enough support for jumping. Ensure you practise in a space where you won’t be hitting anything or anyone.
• Avoid grass and concrete surfaces. It’s easy to twist your ankle when the surface offers insufficient resistance. Wooden floors offer the best bounce, or you can opt for an exercise impact mat.
• Remember to stretch and spend time cooling down to prevent injury.
• If you have any knee, hip or ankle injuries or issues, skipping might not be best for you. Consult a doctor or physiotherapist before incorporating it into your exercise routine.

READ | Coronavirus lockdown | Stay fit at home: best workout tips that are not too technical

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Gabi Zietsman

• Walking is a popular exercise option for people with knee, back and other problems or injuries
• There are various ways to make your walk more intense to help increase your fitness
• Interval training, weights, hills and setting distance goals can help achieve this

Walking is probably one of the most popular forms of exercise, especially for those who hate exercise. 

It’s an easy, low-entry level physical activity that’s useful for people with an assortment of injuries or health issues, and a good starting point for unfit people trying to get moving or lose weight. 

But this doesn’t mean that you can’t get a workout from your daily walk. There are various ways you can make a walk more intense to increase your heart rate and burn more calories.

READ | Can an extra 4 000 steps per day really lower your odds of heart disease? 

Check out the six tips below for upping your walking game:

Choose a distance and time

If you’re looking to increase your walking intensity, it’s important to set a goal.

This should include aiming for a certain distance in a set time. Five kilometres might sound good, but it doesn’t mean much when it takes you hours to complete the distance. 

Add some weight

You can throw in some resistance training by wearing a weighted backpack or another type of distributed weight mechanism.

However, be careful of using ankle weights while walking. According to Harvard Health, this could cause muscle imbalance and put strain on tendons and ligaments.

READ MORE | Here’s why lifting weights is the most effective way to lose weight 

Look for different trails

Step off the tarred roads onto rougher terrain to give your muscles more variety while walking around rocks or on grass.

Remember to stick to existing trails and wear the right shoes.

Opt for uphills

While trying out different terrains, try to incorporate an uphill or two in your route. This places more demand on your body, working your calves and expending more energy.

If you’re not too fit, start with small inclines and gradually work your way up to steeper hills.

READ | 6 hill-training secrets all runners should know

Increase your pace

Interval training, where you’re constantly increasing and decreasing your heart rate, has been proven to improve heart health according to research, and you can easily incorporate this into your walk.

Speed up your walking at one or two minute intervals and slow down again to rest. If you have a smartwatch, monitor your heart rate to help determine the length of your intervals. Swinging your arms when you go faster can also help burn more calories and give your arms a workout too.

Strength training intervals

If you really want to go all out, add stops to your walk and do bodyweight exercises like push-ups, jumping jacks or planking. You can also use park benches, jungle gyms or other structures for support.

You can also augment your walk by incorporating lunge walking, side steps or high knees for an added workout.

READ MORE | What you should know about HIIT workouts – and how to get going

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Gabi Zietsman

• Getting enough exercise can make you live longer
• Researchers from the UK found that exercise prevents close to four million deaths a year
• The WHO recommends 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity and 75 minutes of vigorous activity per week

It’s often said that physical activity rates are too low, but a new report takes a different angle and reveals the good news that exercise prevents nearly four million premature deaths a year worldwide.

For the study, the researchers analysed data from 168 countries on the percentage of people who were getting recommended levels of exercise. The World Health Organization recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity, 75 minutes of vigorous activity, or an equivalent combination each week.

By combining the exercise data with estimates of the risk of dying early among active and inactive people, the investigators estimated how many premature deaths were prevented by physical activity.

The conclusion: Physical activity reduced premature deaths by 15%, or about 3.9 million lives saved per year.

Go for a daily walk

In the United States, physical activity prevents 140 200 early deaths a year, the study authors said. The report was published on 17 June in The Lancet Global Health.

Much attention is focused on the health risks of inactivity, but the benefits of exercise need to be highlighted, according to the researchers at the University of Edinburgh and University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom.

“By focusing on the number of lives saved, we can tell a good news story of what is already being achieved,” said study author Tessa Strain, a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Cambridge.

“It tells us how much good is being done and helps us say ‘look how much benefit physical activity is already providing – let’s make things even better by increasing physical activity levels further,'” she said in a university news release.

Strain said the researchers hope the findings will encourage public officials to protect and maintain services at a time when many are asking why more needs to be invested.

Being active during coronavirus lockdowns can be challenging, so the researchers offer the following suggestions: Go for a daily walk; cycle or do whatever activity you are able to do while maintaining physical distancing; stretch or do yoga for your muscles and joints; join an online exercise session. If it’s an option, gardening is great for stretching and bending.

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