My iPod Reads My Mind During Workouts!

Seems like ancient technology now.

Many of y'all know that I first began working out in 2003 after I graduated high school. When I used to do cardio back then, I used to listen to my Walkman CD player. I would burn workout mixes, which could only be about 13 to 16 songs long because that's all that would fit on a CD.

One day, my great friend Ryan loaned me his iPod during my workout...and it was love at first listen. After I lost a bit of weight, I treated myself to one of the 1st-gen iPod nanos, which were brand new at the time. It revolutionized my workouts. Now I could listen to music during my whole workout, instead of just when I was on the elliptical (because those darn CDs used to skip while lifting weights).

Hello, nano!

I stuck with that nano until I got my first iPhone, and now that I've upgraded to the iPhone 4, I can't imagine heading to the gym without my own personal workout playlist to inspire me.

Since Jackie and I joined Snap a couple of weeks ago, I've realized that my iPod has developed a sense of humor and irony. I always set it on shuffle, and let the fun begin. The following examples have all happened in the past 2 weeks:

When I'm really huffing and puffing, Maroon 5's "Harder to Breath" comes on. When I hit the wall, Kanye's "Stronger" gets me going. When I start slowing down (when I don't need to be), All-American Rejects' "Move Along" or the Black Eye Peas' "Pump It" starts blaring.

The last few minutes are often the ones where I just want to quit, that's when "Give a Little More" by Maroon 5 has come on. One day as my cool down started, Aerosmith's "Walk This Way" started playing. Once when I kept watching the clock, counting down to the end of my workout, Ke$ha's "TiK ToK" came on.

(My iPod really likes Maroon 5 and Aerosmith out of the current list of 120+ songs in my workout playlist.)

These are just a few of the instances I can remember. There have been many more...and it's happened enough for me to notice.

Also, the other night Jackie dragged me to Publix with her for one of her coupon extravaganza shopping sprees (which totally deserve their own blog entry in the future!). As we were walking in the door, I asked if I could just go look at magazines while she shops. Lucky for me, she said yes.

One of the 5 magazines I read while she shopped was the Runner's World. One of the featured articles in the "Newbie" section was about a man who borrowed his 8-year-old son's iPod when he went for a run while on vacation. He talked about how it was so motivating some of the songs were, and he was amused that the songs that his 8 year old liked were actually great songs to listen to while running.

So I want to ask you, loyal readers, what are some of your favorite workout songs? Hit the comments, Facebook me, or tweet me (@BruceFinklea) to share your musical motivation!

I Heart My iPod!