Listening to your favorite songs makes you want to move more! (Getty Images)
We like to work out with music, and studies prove that it makes us want to move. Thanks for sharing your favorite songs for our Fierce Fitness Playlist. From old school to new school and every thing in between, you’ve got eclectic tastes!
Cardio: Running, Race-Walking, Elliptical Workouts and More
“Happy,” Pharrell
“Shame,” Evelyn “Champagne” King
“Billie Jean,” Michael Jackson
“Freq Dat,” Group 1 Crew
“I Will Wait,” Mumford & Sons
“Rolling In the Deep,” Adele
“Ain’t No Other Man,” Christina Aguilera
” Chasing After You,” VaShawn Mitchell
Get more out of your workout by eating low-fat protein before you exercise. (Miodrag Gajic/Getty Images)
“ God’s Got It,” J Moss
“Move Your Body,” Marshall Jefferson
“Hot Music,” Soho
“Paradise Garage Mix,” Larry Levan
“Shackles (Praise You),” Mary, Mary
“Give It Away,” Red Hot Chili Peppers
“Family Affair,” Mary J. Blige
“Optimistic,” Sounds of Blackness
“Roll It Gal,” Alison Hinds
Jevon Oakman Bolden is “Happy” when she runs. Anita Samuels likes House music, like Soho’s classic “Hot Music,” for cardio — particularly elliptical workouts.
Walking
“Walking,” Mary, Mary
“Where Have You Been?” Rihanna
“Get By,” Talib Kweli
“Bombs Over Bagdad,” Outkast
“5 Seconds,” Canton Jones
“Get Up” Jill Scott
“Workin’ Day and Night,” Michael Jackson
Listening to RiRi “always makes me walk faster,” Kendra Lee says. For Joyce Davis, “Anything by Outkast — but specifically “Bombs Over Bagdad” — will turn my walk into a jog.”
Weight Training
“Locked Out of Heaven,” Bruno Mars
“Bennie & the Jets,” Elton John
“Fallin’,” Alicia Keyes
“Oh Happy Day,” Edwin Hawkins Singers
“If I Were Your Woman,” Gladys Knight & the Pips
“It’s all in the beat!” Sheree Crute says.
Spinning
“Wanna Be Starting Something,” Michael Jackson
“Another One Bites the Dust,” Queen
“No Diggity,” BlackStreet
“When it;s a slow, painful uphill ride,” Angela Johnson says, “Cry Me a River,” by Justin Timberlake, helps her get over the hump in spinning class.
Biking
“Share My Life,” Kem
“I Blame You,” Ledesi
“Let Go,” Lalah Hathaway
“U Send Me Swinging,” Mint Condition
“So Emotional,” Kashif
Kashif’s “So Emotional” gives Michelle Trotter the “umph” to get up steep hills. “I’m also into Kem.”
Free Style Jump Roping
“Take a Picture,” Swizz Beatz
Thinkstock/Getty Images
“I always jump to this song because of the swift tempo, and there is actually what sounds like a rope turning in the background,” Johnson explains.
Dancing
“Applause,” Lady Gaga
“How Do You Want It?” Tupac featuring K-Ci & JoJo
“(Not Just) Knee Deep,” Funkadelic
“Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough,” Michael Jackson
“Housequake,” Prince
“Eighties soul motivates me,” Davis says. “I have literally found myself dancing down the street to the Whispers’ ‘Keep On Lovin’ Me,’ the S.O.S. Band’s ‘Take Your Time,’ and Yarbrough & Peoples’ ‘Don’t Stop The Music.’”
“Throw on Rick James’ ‘You and I,’ and I lose my mind,” Lee admits. Nell Bradley is partial to “Young Hearts Run Free” by Candy Staton. (See video, above.) “I will act out of character anytime any song sung by Lisa Stansfield comes on,” Bradley adds.
Cool Down & Stretch
“Empire State of Mind,” Jay Z and Alicia Keys
“Philadelphia,” Dwele
“Living for the Love of You,” Whitney Houston
“Didn’t Cha Know,” Erykah Badu
“Feeling Good,” Nina Simone
“You Are My Friend,” Sylvester (featuring Two Tons of Fun)
“Gone Away,” Roberta Flack
Yanick Rice Lamb loves to end workouts with “Empire State of Mind” and fondly reminisce about living in New York.
Please share your favorites!
About Fierce Fridays — Tips for Weekend Well-Being
To recharge your batteries, get in some playtime this weekend. (stevecoleimages)
We each cherish those precious days off at the end of the week, but increasingly those of us who are charter members of the sisterhood of the stressed and overworked are losing our Saturday and Sunday leisure time to weekend work and domestic duties.
To make sure that you do something every weekend that’s just for you, we’ll be sharing a little advice to make those 48 hours a great time to recharge your batteries, bring a little good news into your life, or discover a quick and easy way to improve your health.
