Bored with your walking routine? Do what I do…Customize your music!

This may sound a bit O.C.D., and perhaps it is, but I spend HOURS customizing my walking music. It’s actually the mental part of my walking workouts, and something I look forward to on a weekly basis.

Every Sunday, I put key words in my music search and plug my headsets in to my phone and voila! I’m off into my own little world. A couple of hours later, I have my weekly playlist comprised of about 400 songs. Why so many songs? It’s simple. I play my lists on shuffle and like the variety I will have for a whole week (or 2 sometimes). I would get bored if I had the same 20 songs playing in a loop, and this method keeps me guessing what song will pop up next.

It is really important that if you do this, you only add songs that have a rhythm that makes sense for your stride. The fun part is walking to the beat. If your beat doesn’t match your stride, you will find yourself fast forwarding songs, etc. Essentially, you will be staring at your phone the whole time instead of enjoying the walk.

I will openly admit that I sing out loud EVERY time I hit the pavement. I’m quite sure there are many people I pass who think I’m nuts (and perhaps they are correct), but…..I’ve been consistently getting in my cardio this way, while these other people are sitting on benches shaking their heads at me. Quite frankly, I’m prideful that I am the walking one in the duo.

So….Try to make your own playlists, and update or change them often. There are so many genres you can choose from, and don’t be afraid to be creative. Here are a few of the searches I have performed:

70’s greatest hits, 80’s walking music, classical music walking music, army cadence walking, disco originals, etc. (Obviously, you can search for whatever floats your boat, but be specific in your wording to get exactly the mix of possibilities that you like.

Well, my friends, I’ll leave you with my thought of the day…I’d rather be the crazy woman singing and walking down the street than the person on the bench eating their candy bar and sipping soda! (And the truth? Most people give me a thumbs-up as I walk by them, or a high five. Oh yes…They WISH they were the crazy woman!)

Have a healthy summer, and don’t be afraid to get out and walk. Just stay hydrated before, during and after the walk according to industry standard recommendations (you can Google it if you are unsure).

Be Well,

Shereen Rios for Focus and Form Fitness

• July 11, 2019
• leave comment
• by focusandform

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.