The Songs that Helped me Crush My Fitness Goals

When I started working out in June 2020, I didn't really think I'd be able to stick to the regimen for so long. However, it's been more than 5 months now, and here I am, still sweating it out every single day. I lost 10Kgs, dropped my waist size from 32 inches to 28 inches, and my BMI is down from 25.4 in June to 21 in November.

All of this would have been impossible without the kickass songs I added to my playlist. I've discovered that music is a great motivator while working out. When you select songs that have a high beats-per-minute (BPM), you automatically feel like moving your body more, to crunch harder, to plank longer, to just put in more work.

Aside from that, if you play the same songs every day, your body gets used to moving in a particular manner along with the music. You learn to anticipate which song will come next, and your body prepares subconsciously for the next move it's going to be subjected to. And most of all, the familiarity helps you sing along as you work out, making you feel great about yourself. Like you're this awesome person who can do just about anything they set their mind to.

My workout regimen consisted of doing shorter workouts twice a day for six days a week. The mornings are for ab exercises while the evening session focussed on a full-body burn. Here's a breakdown of the workout routine along with the songs that helped me lose 10 Kg and feel great about myself.

Morning Routine: Ab Workouts

I found that working out before breakfast is a great way to burn more fat. To make sure your body is safe, you need to keep some dietary requirements in mind. As this post by Healthline suggests, it’s important to follow a balanced diet to enhance your athletic performance and shorten the recovery time. You need to eat whole, nutritious, natural foods, include healthy carbs such as fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and legumes and have your protein in the form of lean meat, eggs, and low-fat dairy products.

In the mornings, I did 10-15 minutes of ab exercises. The songs I chose to listen to during this short sprint were ones that were upbeat and easy to sing along. Working on your abs can be super tough, but these songs acted like my friends and helped me stick on even when every fibre in my body was screaming for me to give up. In addition, the sequence the songs played one after another is adjusted according to the principle of progressive overload (working out harder with time). The songs get friendlier as the exercises in your routine become more brutal.

Evening Routine: Full Body Burn

The evenings were focussed on engaging muscles all over the body. I did high intensity interval training (HIIT) workouts for three days a week. For the rest of the three days, I went on a 3-Km run. This gave my body lots of time and space to relax after the gruelling morning session and helped me have fun without overstraining myself.

For the HIIT sessions, the songs I chose were lyrics-heavy and easy to sing along. They kept my spirits up and helped me stick to my goal.

On days that I went on a run, the songs I listened to were mostly remixes, with some peppy numbers temped up to have 120 BPM or more. The high tempo kept the adrenaline flowing through my veins and helped me enjoy the run even more. At times when I felt I was so tired, another energetic song started playing in my earphones and I got the courage to push myself to run just a little bit further.

Here's my running playlist. This one is a little longer to account for the breaks and stretching sessions I found myself pausing for every now and then.

Final Words

Working out twice a day for six days a week is hard, but with the right mindset and a friendly playlist, you can stick to it and keep crushing your goals. Listening to some peppy music while you push your body to work harder is not only fun, but it also helps you feel amazing about yourself. I don't think I'd have been able to reach where I am today without these amazing songs helping me along the way.

As for the morning and evening workouts, I didn’t join any gym or follow a fad diet. All the workouts were done at home with no extra equipment. If you’re interested in a detailed look at my workout plan and food habits, you can read the full details of my workout regimen here.