Let the music: move you - GetFit News

Shape, April, 2004

Tunes can help you tune out fatigue when you're exercising, two studies suggest. When Japanese women did a 60-minute step workout to either traditional folk songs or aerobic-dance tapes, they reported feeling less tired than when they stepped in silence. They also exercised harder when they listened to the dance tunes.

In a similar study at the University of Kansas, people ages 18-30 cycled for 20 minutes while alternately listening to fast-tempo tunes, classical music, songs they chose themselves or no music at all. Regardless of the music, their heart rates were the same, indicating that they were working out at similar intensities. However, participants said that exercise felt easier with music than without.--A.V.