Workout Those Ears Too!

No more excuses. If you have a great R&B playlist for working out then you have every reason to get out of bed in the morning and work those glutes for that summer body for next year. If you've been paying attention to the news recently there's a possible vaccine for covid-19 that could be available as soon as spring of next year. This could possibly suggest that summer 21 will be happening so we need to be looking our best for those summer nights ahead and those promising beach days that the majority of us sadly missed this year. So we need a great mindset, a positive attitude, the best workout trainers, the cutest gym wear, and of course the most important one of them all, a great R&B playlist to keep you going.

Why R&B?

R&B is everything! The beats and rhythm of songs that incredible artists put together can help us stay focused whilst working out. But there are different types of R&B that can more be appreciated for different stages of a workout. For example, when your warming up you need a couple of upbeat R&B tracks that are going to wake you up and loosen your body so you can be ready to take on the cardio during your workout session. Then you have the more chilled and relaxed R&B that is more suitable for when you're cooling down at the end of a workout which keeps you in a very peaceful state of mind. So I'm about to share with you my designated R&B playlist on Spotify along with my six top songs that you must listen to whilst working out that can may help you get through a workout. Some of the songs that you may come across are the same songs that I put together in my Study & Listen story a couple of weeks ago so be sure to use some of these songs to help you study as well if your student. Ok, let's get to it!

Warm-up and Cardio

1. Dirrty, Christina Aguilera

It's no surprise that I'm a massive Christina Aguilera fan, and of course, this 2002 hit is one of my favorite songs by her and holds the first spot on my playlist. The introduction to the song automatically wakes me up as soon as the engine of the motorbike goes off. That means it's time to get going with the workout so there's no excuse to be holding back whilst I'm running up a hill or failing to do some push-ups. I mainly listen to this song before I even begin warming up as it's getting me in the right mindset with the upbeat to the chorus and outrageous lyrics that make you want to do anything that involves moving your body. Miss Aguilera promptly says at the end of the chorus "It's about time for my arrival". This definitely can be a motivating factor to push forward during a workout as it will soon be your arrival in summer 2021 with the body you've been working towards.

2. Superstar, Jamelia

Let's take it back now. We all remember this one. Jamelia definitely blessed our music souls back in 2003 when all the radio stations were playing this upbeat R&B Track. Whoever thought in 2020 that this song will be a motivational track through a tough workout session. I'm pleased to say that since I've reconnected with this song, I find myself listening to this track every time I go for a run or hit the gym as there's the classic DJ stereo before the chorus that gets me pumped up for those 30-second cardio rounds. Even when I'm struggling to work the inner core muscles doing the squats when the chorus comes around to this song it does magic to me. I'm able to complete the set of squats that I was struggling with. Maybe because I'm more focused on the musical beat than the actual body movement itself as I just do it subconsciously. So I'm telling you all now the chorus to the song will definitely bring out the superstar in you.

3. Get Right, Jennifer Lopez

Still within the 2000s era of R&B is a good feel J-lo song that encourages you to do a core dance workout. The instrumentals with the saxophone beat playing throughout the entire song immediately make you move your hips side to side and will not make you stop until the very end. It's one of those songs you would find playing in a Zumba or spin class that requires everyone to be in sync with one another and has no slow movements at any stage. There are so many J-lo songs on this playlist that give you the good hip-pop vibe such as "Love don't cost a thing", "Play", and "Jenny on the block". But this track out of all of them will always get my blood pumping as it puts me in the right state of mind due to the catchy chorus with Miss Lopez constantly saying "we can get right". There's nothing better than a song constantly telling you to get right non-stop before summer 2021. So if you need a really good motivational song to help you get right for next summer then here you go!

Cool Down

4. Butterflies, Michela Jackson

If you press play really quickly you can hear why this song is perfect for cooling down after a long cardio session. A hidden gem of Micheal Jackson's discography that no one seems to know about is "Butterflies". Jackson's beautifully toned, crisp voice fits in perfectly with the instrumentals to the song which gives a relaxed, soothing tone so you can be at one with your body whilst breathing in and out. Not only is this song perfect for relaxing your mind, but also allows you to escape with the words to the song. Instead of thinking about how hard your workout was why not think about your secret crush that gives you butterflies. Hopefully thinking about them will put your mind at ease as well. This why I preferably play this song all time as I'm cooling off as it allows me to escape into a fantasy world as I close my eyes and feel my chest going in and out. It's just such shame a very few of us know this brilliant masterpiece that Jackson created back in 2001.

5. Kiss Me, Cassie

One of the best R&B slow jams that I know is "Kiss Me" by Cassie. We all remember Cassie right? She sang "Me and & U" back in 2006 and was definitely a song that had to be played in the basement clubs. "Me and U" Can be found on my playlist as well but 'Kiss Me' is one song that heard back in April of this year for the first time and I was hooked on the first 10 seconds of the song. I mainly listen to this song before I go bed as it puts me at ease with my day but I found myself listening to this whilst cooling down after cardio and it's perfect for inhaling and exhaling. The first two lines of the chorus are "One, two, three, kiss, that's when I know that we, Four, five, six, kiss, have the right chemistry". Instead of singing along to those lyrics, I change them to "One, two, three, breath, that's all I need to do, four, five, six, breath, that's the right chemistry". That's all you need to do for your cool down whilst stretching out your back and arms as well. Changing the words slightly in your head with the fantastic beat to the track may help you keep focus for that extra minute before you conclude the workout session for the day.

6. Good as Hell, Lizzo

Finally to conclude the ultimate, R&B workout playlist I need a feel-good song whilst cooling down to be proud of myself by completing an intense workout and feeling confident with the body that I'm in. Of course, we all should know this masterpiece that Lizzo created back in 2015 that encourages self-love within ourselves and of course just feeling great about who we are no matter what anybody says. I always love to play this tune whether I'm cooling down after a workout session or just grabbing that bottle of water once all the exercises are completed. Similar to the rest of the five songs above, this tune can definitely put you in a good mood and can leave you feeling accomplished after those intense cardio runs or burpees. It's no joke that whilst I'm cooling down to this song I always sing the line of "Feeling good as hell" of the chorus as no song can better describe my mood after getting my heart rate up for 40 minutes.

Workout Completed!

So are you up for feeling good for your next workout session with this playlist? If you're into R&B or hip-pop tracks that I would definitely take a listen. It's better to listen to this playlist if you're doing an intense workout rather than the more relaxing workout session such as pilates or yoga. The main reason is that there are more upbeat, fun R&B tracks from artists such as The Pussycat Dolls, Mariah Carey, and Destiney's child. These upbeat tracks on the list are designed to get you up and moving as you feel the rhythm to the songs so you can be empowered once you get going into the workout.

If you somehow you don't find yourself kneen on this playlist then I'm not offended. There are so many great upbeat songs out there with different genres that can easily drive you out of bed to get your body warmed up. Whatever genre of music you play during a workout, just make sure it keeps you motivated and focused but also enjoyable as exercising is fun and rewarding. Whether you're doing it for yourself every once in while or doing it to improve your fitness just have fun doing it with a good track to listen to.