Can Music Help You Lose Weight?
When it comes to losing weight, most of us are familiar with the need to diet and exercise. There are thousands of products and programs available, some of them legitimate and others quite dangerous, such as different types of diet pills and supplements. One thing very few of us think about is how music could actually be beneficial in helping you stay motivated to stick to your diet plans as well as help you lose weight.
Many studies exist that show the health benefits of listening to music. Some people begin very early by introducing their children to music while still in the womb! Music therapy has been used in treating many emotional and physical conditions, such as pain management, depression, and others. It has been shown that listening to certain types of music can affect your mood and feelings as well as physical effects, such as changes in brain waves or heart rate.
So how can music help you lose weight? Here are some possible different ways you can use music to keep you focused on your dieting and exercise goals:
Create Positive Thinking: Listening to upbeat and positive music can help you stay positive. The more positive you think, the more likely you are to stick to your goals and be focused on living a healthier lifestyle. Instead of thinking “I’ll never lose weight!” you may just find yourself thinking “I CAN do this!”
Improved Heart Rate/Breathing: Different types of music can change your heart rate and breathing. When you are working out, your goal is to increase your heart rate and improve oxygen levels so you can burn off calories. Songs with a good beat and tempo can make it easier for you to work on these things and burn off more calories.
Relaxation: Stress is a common factor in why we gain weight, as it can produce hormones and chemicals in our body that affect how we process the foods we eat as well as lead to over eating in some individuals. Meditative music or calming and relaxing sounds can greatly help improve your levels of stress, which in turn can then also help you lose weight.
While there are relatively few studies showing the direct relationship between the benefits of listening to music while working out or dieting, one study by Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey did show that women who listened to music while exercising lost twice as much weight as those who did not.
If you’re struggling with staying motivated or seeing the results you’d like to see with your diet and exercise program, adding music to your workout routine as well as taking some time for relaxing sounds may be the extra boost you need, without the dangerous side effects of fad dieting and pills!
Chelle writes about health, fitness, and weight loss motivation on her site LoseFree.com, where you can also listen to her playlist of favorite workout songs. Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/weight-loss-articles/can-music-help-you-lose-weight-981931.html
