Who can sit still to Runaround Sue by Dion? I dare you. Seriously, try it.
They are saying lately that sitting is the new smoking, meaning that being sedentary can be as detrimental to your health as smoking. Whether or not that is true, one thing is true, moving more and sitting less is definitely a healthier choice.
We need to move more. But how? It behooves us to find some ways that we enjoy and then work it into our lives. One thing I recently discovered is Tabata, which I recently wrote about; another is moving to music. This can take various forms, like the obvious, dancing; or rebounding on a mini-trampoline, or something more creative and unconventional like moving across the room in a variety of ways, such as skipping, bunny hopping, sashaying, etc. Enjoyable music with a good beat is key to me.
I subscribe to Pandora. Johnny Rivers playlist is my favorite. It features a lot of great dancing songs like the one above. Other times I deviate and just go straight to YouTube and pick a song I know has a good beat.
Here are a few of my YouTube favorites that come to mind:
Kryptonite by Three Doors Down
Stayin’ Alive by the Bee Gees
Human Wheels by John Cougar Mellancamp
Beat It by Michael Jackson
Wild Night by Van Morrison
Easy Lover by Phil Collins and Philip Bailey
Ain’t Too Proud to Beg by The Temptations
One easy workout routine using music that I invented is called the Fab4. I dance to 4 songs and within those 4 songs I do 4 exercises that work different larger muscle groups: jumping jacks, squats, push-ups, and sit-ups. You can do 15-25 of each one time, or all of them with each song, depending on your energy and/or fitness level. I recommend the latter, but hey, the other will get you off the couch too.
Another way music causes me to move more is that it energizes me. Back in the early days when we were first married we always put on “workin’ music” while we cleaned our apartment every Saturday. I still put on workin’ music when I really need to conquer some housework. Even on normal days I often have music playing, and I have noticed I just move more when I do. Like I am swaying to the beat while I am chopping celery, or sashaying down the hall with a load of laundry. Or, if Runaround Sue comes on I just have to stop what I am doing and dance it out.
Ahhhh, magical music. I love it!
I would enjoy hearing some of your favorite dancing songs, or favorite ways to move more.
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