A while back I shared my exercise routine with you. It’s important for me to squeeze in a little treadmill/aerobic time each day to keep my thighs AND my sanity in check! I’ve received a few requests to also share my workout music so below are some of my favorite treadmill tunes. I have to first warn you — my music choice in the workout category is a bit nerdy. A lot of these songs are older but I love exercising to them because they bring back such great memories for me. I haven’t had time since Kole came along to update this mix, but in the past when I have had time to add a new song or two, I would always test them on the elliptical at the gym. If the RPM’s are going up up up while I’m listening to the new song, it’s a keeper. If the RPM’s start to drop, I toss the song. It’s a fun little game I like to play in a desperate attempt to entertain myself because I find the elliptical rather boring. :)
So without further delay, here are some of my favorite workout songs – memories included!
Dynamite — Taio Cruz (first up on the play list on the side of my blog) The only song I’ve added to my workout play list this year and I just LOVE it! It reminds me of doing Zumba with my sister-in-law Dayna when I visit my home town. We always have such a blast! The Zumba class is in a big warehouse and it’s a dark club like setting. The music is pounding and you can just let loose!
Love Game — Lady GaGa
Just Dance — Lady GaGa
Pocket full of Sunshine — Natasha Bedingfield
Harder to Breathe — Maroon 5
Holiday — Green Day
I Don’t Wanna Be — Gavin DeGraw
Livin’ on a Prayer — Bon Jovi — K – I know this song is ancient, but here’s my memory with this one. When Kenny and I were leaving Virginia (where we spent three years for Law School) I was so sad. I had made so many friends and loved our time there and I was nervous about moving to San Diego and starting all over. Bags packed, we pulled out of our neighborhood to start our cross country road trip and I started to cry. To cheer me up Kenny turned on Livin’ on a Prayer, cranked it up way too loud, and sang it to me at the top of his lungs while we drove. All tears ceased and soon we were both jamming like idiots to this song with the windows rolled down ready for our new adventure. I can’t hear this song without thinking of what a sweet dork my husband can be and our fun times living on the East Coast. Plus this song is just a great one to practice my boxing moves to! (WOAH OH! Livin’ on a Prayer……)
Rich Girl, The Sweet Escape, Hollaback Girl, Hey Baby, Sunday Morning and TONS of Gwen Stephani music (you know how I feel about Gwen Stephani)
Lose My Breath — Destiny’s Child
Survivor — Destiny’s Child — Reminds me of teaching my 4th graders how to dance for a PE segment in Virginia. I helped five of my girls make up a dance to Survivor which was huge at the time and they were so stinkin’ cute performing it for parents.
Unwritten — Natasha Bedingfield
Hey Ya — Outkast
All the Small Things — Blink 182
Don’t Go There — Soundtrack of Dangerous Minds This song is just plain annoying! I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone! But in college I was on the dance team and we did a fun dance to this song. Every time I hear it I remember that dance and all of my friends from college and the fun times we had together.
Come Together — Michael Jackson (reminds me of another Rebelette dance)
Disturbia — Rihanna
Family Affair — Mary J. Blige
Pon de Replay — Rihanna
Black Horse and the Cherry Tree — KT Tunstall
Salvation — The Cranberries – Fun memories of driving around in my white Honda Civic I had in High School with my little brother jamming to this song. Love my little brother and I LOVED that white Honda Civic!
So What — Pink
Don’t Lie — Black Eyed Peas
Don’t Phunk with my Heart — Black Eyed Peas
Let’s Get it Started — Black Eyed Peas
Hit him up style — Blue Cantrell
Two Princes — Spin Doctors – I can smell summer in southern Utah when I hear this song! And taste cherry glaciers from the Frostop.
Mona Lisa — Fugees Takes me right back to late nights with my sister. She would always listen to her music way into the night and I hated it all. Except this song. I would ask her to play this song over and over. Remember Car? :)
Geek in the Pink — Jason Mraz (what time is it? It’s Laundry….)
Jai Ho– Soundtrack of Slum dog Millionaire — in honor of my Addison’s debut in the dance world.
Unbelievable — EMF
Mercy — Duffy fun memories of So You Think You Can Dance concerts…
So there you have it! Doesn’t my music just make you want to get up and move!!??
Not so much?
Well it works for me. :)
Love it! We really did grow up in the same era! I loved overalls…in fact, I had one of my senior pics taken in the overalls! ha! Thanks for sharing your memories :) I love how music can bring up a whole lifetime of memories!
Who cares if you were wearing overalls, look how amazing your arms look!!!!!!
P.S. SCARY fact of the day…I was still wearing overalls when I moved here AND I continued wearing them through out my pregnancy with Seth…(picture a huge fat person with overalls) AND I wore them to the DMV to get my CA license so now I get to look at my fat pregnant face, with overalls on…forever!!!!!
Thanks so much for posting this. I needed some new song ideas.
Thank you so much for your music suggestions! I, too, find running & the elliptical so very boring & am always looking for new songs to load onto my iPod.
A a fun overall story–I wore overall shorts for my HS senior pictures! To this day, my husband makes fun of me for wearing them. I still think I looked pretty cute! :)
Fun post Erin! Did continue to work out during your pregnancy’s?
I loved my overalls:)
Love your song lists and I love music. Now if it just motivated me to workout I would be in great shape:) You are cute as a button!!
Well I’ll just tell you that overalls were TOTALLY my favorite thing to wear! I think that was all I wore in college and even worse I wore them for our engagement pictures! (K, now remember we didn’t get married until 2002!) Nice. And a cherry glacier from Frostop sound SO good about now!
Yes I feel like dancin’. Love all the stories connected with the songs – it makes them so special.
thanks for sharing your tunes AND all those fabulous photos from the past. you’re sportin’ some pretty sweet outfits.;) i remember when overalls were huge. i had like 5 pairs! oh, and holy smokes Ellie looks JUST LIKE YOU!
p.s. aren’t you SO excited for SYTYCD!?! just a few weeks away!!
Too cute! I thought for a second that I got to see a pic of you hugging a different high school boyfriend besides Kenny…brother.
I, too, have a workout playlist. I thought I’d share some that really get me moving and that you might like:
Say Hey (I Love You)-Michael Franti & Spearhead (just having this song in my head makes me want to get moving)
Single Ladies-Beyonce
Ever Ever After-Carrie Underwood (yes, the song from the ending scenes of “Enchanted” – I have a 6 year old girl)
Conga-Gloria Estefan (Old school, but she has some great tunes!)
Hot N Cold-Katy Perry
Firework-Katy Perry (great great song!)
Perfect Day-Hoku (the song from the opening scenes of “Legally Blonde”)
One Little Slip-The Barenaked Ladies (and was used in some of the early scenes in “Chicken Little”)
Pacific Coast Party-Smash Mouth (Old school, yes, but great to move to)
You Should Be Dancing-Bee Gees (see comment above)
Tonight Tonight-Hot Chelle Rae (found out about this one from my 16 year old daughter)
Forget You-I forget the original artist, but I’ve downloaded the version done by the Glee cast.
My Life-Robin Thicke (used in the ending credits of “Despicable Me”)
Evacuate the Dance Floor-Cascada
Something That I Want-Grace Potter (from the ending credits of “Tangled”…a fan favorite at my house)
If I Had You-Adam Lambert (not a big fan of his, but I like this song)
Your Love Is My Drug-Kesha…or Ke$sha…I see it spelled both ways.
Million Dollar Bill-Whitney Houston (not a real well known song, but it gets me moving!)
Great list Erin! SInce I do my workouts with DVD’s at home now, I miss the music that I had on my ipod. I’m not a runner but you may have inspired me to take a quick run with some of my old songs. (-:
p.s. I LOVED my overalls!
Great choices and I love the show So You Think You Can Dance! :-)
Have a great day!
Blessings,
Jill
Going to add some of these to my workout playlist too : )
Loved me some overalls back in the day!
That looks like my old neighborhood in Alexandris VA.
Living on a prayer! Crazy! You can say your music tastes are varied.
Thanks for posting, Erin! I’m always looking for new songs to add for my run, and a bunch of these were perfect!
Have you tried having a workout music using brain entrainment like at
http://www.FitCatalyst.com?