Music tends to be a latchkey of how we communicate. As human beings, it carries a message about the time it was made in, and what we can learn from it will be invaluable.

But that’s not why we’re here, is it? No, no, you want to listen to it because it makes you feel good. And there’s certainly nothing wrong with that. But the important thing that’s missing is how it ties into exercise.

An Aggressive Mind, An Aggressive Body

It’s easy to just say, “Oh, I’ll play whatever song and it’ll make me feel great and energized!” That’s probably furthest from the truth. The way a song sounds can drastically impact how you feel, and thus your future music choices going forward. And if you’re going to the gym, playing some melancholy Evanescence song is not prime material for working out.

You’re going to want to play something a lot more upbeat and/or aggressive while you’re working out. Even if it’s not a song about absolute sunshine and rainbows, it’s easier to listen to a song with a lot of energy and charisma to it rather than something dour with a happy message at the end. This is a weird suggestion, but death metal is an excellent choice for this sort of workout, especially if you’re focusing more on lifting and less on cardio; it’s aggressive and it keeps you going when you’re pushing past your limits.

A Little Happy Music Does the Soul Good

That said, there is a place for your sappy, upbeat music in the exercise realm. If you’re going for a simple run on the treadmill or elliptical, then queueing up some comfy music will more than likely be in your best interests. If you’re doing hardcore sprint workouts? Not so much, but then again, we’re not exactly trying out for the track team, now are we? The run doesn’t always have to be intense. If you are, well, good for you, but running at a light jog also never hurt anybody; and by the same token, neither did the return to bubblegum pop to your iPod Shuffle.