Jane Plan's Tips For Creating The Ultimate Running Playlist

We love curating a good workout playlist, whether it’s a boyband hit list or the best of Beyoncé, a good tune can do wonders for your motivation. We asked our friends at Jane Plan for the background on what makes a great playlist and why:

Listening to the right kind of music whilst running can keep you going for 20% longer and burn more calories, according to a study by London’s Brunel University. 

Getting fit doesn’t have to cost the earth. Running is cheap and probably one of the easiest ways to kick start a new healthier, fitter lifestyle.

It can be a daunting task to start running but one of the best things that you can do is to create a stomping playlist to add fuel to your fire! It’s all about taking small steps when it comes to high intensity exercise, so we urge you to combine your love of music and compile the perfect ‘get fit’ playlist.

The NHS has also reported that listening to music while running can distract you from the actual effort of the job itself. Instead of listening to the thump coming from your heartbeat, you’ll be listening to the beat of your favourite songs. Tests on walkers found that walking in time to a musical beat improved endurance by 15%.

The science of the matter 

High energy tunes can help to block fatigue, create energy and also help you to keep pace by synchronising your movements. Start off with some upbeat faves and then move on to some mid-tempo numbers for the middle part of your workout, ending with a high tempo crescendo of pumping tunes. To cool down, and bring yourself back to reality, introduce some calm and mellow tracks and taper your speed.

What should I choose?

The fun part of making a fitness playlist is that it’s completely personal to taste. You might love rock or be partial to a bit of cheesy pop – whatever you fancy, just make sure to create a playlist that gets you moving! A handy barometer to have is to follow beats per minute (bpm). Music is specially composed to get you running in step with the number of beats on a track and all music has a bpm. The NHS gives some great ideas for the types of songs to choose - Mercy by Duffy has 127bpm, Don't Stop the Music by Rhianna has 123bpm. Most people find 150bpm a gentle pace and by 190bpm they are running as hard as they can.

Music and your Diet

Listen to some of your favourite songs before you pound the pavements. It will put a spring in your step, help you to feel positive and can even beat sugar cravings as you’ll be out of the house! You’ll feel capable of anything...even a run! Being positive and happy makes you much more motivated so you’ll find sticking to your new healthy lifestyle goals so much easier.

This blog was provided by our friends at Jane Plan, where it was originally published.