The best songs to get your body moving in 2014
By Julia Siedlanowska, Staff Writer
New year’s resolutions, yada yada yada—I personally don’t believe in them. I think arbitrary changes over the course of the calendar year have little to do with my life, and I’m sure most of us think of our years more in terms of the school year anyway. I prefer to set my resolutions regarding specific life goals and changes, and January 1 is little more than a tiny landmark in the sad Vancouver winter for me. However, if one thing about the new year is for certain, it’s that it takes place after a month or more of extreme indulgence. This tends to lead to an increase in fitness levels for a few weeks, or at the very least, crushing guilt.
But how do we deal with this guilt? Do we sit on the couch and ignore our nagging conscience? Or do we go out and do something? Yeah, ok—I know the frenzy will really start just before bikini season (born procrastinators that we are), but if you do want to go for that run or burn off those gingerbread men, there’s something to help you along: music.
I’m not ashamed to admit that feeling like Rocky Balboa is part of the charm of going for a nice long jog, or that Kendrick and Miley motivate me on a daily basis. Making fitness fun is one of the best ways to actually get you going, to help turn “I should” into “I just did.” Whether it be yoga, sex, running, dancing, or going to the gym, there’s a whole slew of songs that are just the right accompaniment to any physical activity. Scientists say that the best music to work out to is between 120 and 140 beats per minute, placing a lot of recent pop and club tracks right in the sweet spot.
Last year saw the rise of a new, dancier Miley, and the surprise of Beyoncé. Popular music continued to numb us with pathetic lyrics and beats, and rising new artists continued to surprise us. Fantastic music from other parts of the world continues to delight our senses as globalization pushes it overseas and onto our radio waves: I wish only to hear more.
Here is my selection of 10 songs to motivate you this January:
Trance Dance Fav: “CHATTAHOOCHEE” by Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike
Get Crazy: “Watch Out for This (Bumaye)” by Major Lazer ft. Busy Signal, The Flexican, and FS Green
Fav Dance Song: “Animals” by Martin Garrix
Fav Sex Song 1: “Latch” by Disclosure ft. Sam Smith
Fav Sex Song 2: “Do I Wanna Know” by Arctic Monkeys
Pump Up: “Radioactive” by Imagine Dragons
Get Jacked: “Fuckin’ Problems” by A$AP Rocky ft. Drake, 2 Chainz, and Kendrick Lamar
Motivate: “I Love It” by Icona Pop ft. Charli XCX
Guilty Pleasure: “Mi Mi Mi” by Serebro
All Time Fav: “Breezeblocks” by Alt-J
