January 17 is also known as "Ditch Your New Year's Resolutions Day," the day when people are most likely to bail on the promises they made just a few weeks back.
Chances are, your New Year's drive is fading away with the rest of the world's.
The motivation you were filled with on January 1 has likely disappeared, giving way to extended happy hours, lack of sleep and a ton of junk food.
Not to mention, the gym hasn't seen you in over a week.
But there's a way to get back into things, especially when it comes to your workouts.
In 2014, a study was published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise that focused exclusively on pushing through high-intensity interval training workouts, aka any workouts that switch between short, intense bursts of exercise and periods of strenuous activity (or even complete rest).
These workouts burn more fat in less time, which makes them perfect for those of us with busy lives.
But obviously, they're tough to get through because they're SO DAMN HARD.
The study asked volunteers to peddle on stationary bikes as fast as possible for four 3o-second intervals, which they referred to as all-out peddling.
The volunteers had four minutes of rest between each interval, during which they could either get off the bike entirely or peddle slowly.
The volunteers' power output was tracked, along with their responses to how hard and fun the exercise seemed.
After the workout, the volunteers were asked their favorite songs to work out to, which the researchers then made into a custom playlist for each volunteer.
The volunteers then did one interval while listening to their favorite playlists, and one interval without any music.
The researchers discovered that the volunteers found the workout to be equally hard, whether they had listened to music or not.
However, the researchers found the volunteers' power output was way higher when they listened to music they enjoyed.
They worked harder, therefore burning more calories.
At SoulCycle — the boutique indoor spin class that's been sweeping the nation — music is an important part of the workout process.
NYC instructor Matt Miller tells Elite Daily,
A lot goes into a playlist in order to make the SoulCycle experience come together. For me, it's about creating a playlist that brings the class on a physical and emotional journey.
Spotify also released its top 10 songs of 2016 to work out to, and its findings clearly showed how important music was to motivate people to get to the gym.
The top song was "'Till I Collapse" by Eminem, followed by "POWER" by Kanye West and "Jumpman" by Drake.
What do these songs have in common, other than all being hip-hop tracks?
Their BPMs (beats per minute).
So, you don't necessarily have to change your gym playlist to exclusively hip-hop if you want to feel the burn.
Tanya Becker, co-founder and Chief Creative Officer of Physique57 – an international, ballet-based barre workout – has the following tips for Elite Daily readers when it comes to picking the best music for your workout:
Nina Kraus, a professor of neurobiology at Northwestern University in Illinois, who studies the effects of music on the nervous system found 'humans and songbirds' are the only creatures 'that automatically feel the beat' of a song. If you choose music with higher BPMs, you are more likely to hit your target heart rate, increase your cardiovascular endurance and burn more calories. Most of our playlists at Physique 57 have songs with BPMs between 120-130, which keeps the energy up and the pace at a cardiovascular level.
But don't forget: The workout won't seem EASIER. You'll just be pushing HARDER.
So, the best way to approach a workout routine in 2017 is by listening good music and having fun.
Still out of ideas?
Check out the instructors' favorite songs in the playlist below. You'll be skipping happy hour for the gym in no time.
OK, maybe not. But you WILL be spending more time there.
Citations: Need Some 2017 Fitness Motivation? Spotify Reveals Top Workout Music Trends (Spotify), How Music Can Boost a High-Intensity Workout (The New York Times)
