I grew up in the vinyl era, not just records but the cassettes. OMGosh, I had boxes of them, “mixed tapes.” I would make them for myself, friends, family, boyfriends. A little plastic box of self-expression. That deck of cards sized bundle of feelings, an array of tunes each one with its particular purpose. Some that made me feel happiness, reckless, courageous, extraordinary, sad, heartbroken. Play, fast forward, rewind, I knew exactly what track was coming up next, and I could listen for the sound of the tape whirring around the spools and then, click, PAUSE, hit play again and there was my song. My LP’s scratched from playing them over and over. Tower Records & Licorice Pizza, were typical Friday nights. Waiting in lines for hours to get the newest top ten Billboard release, and some weekends the artists and bands would come for album signings. I lived for the weekends and the nightclubs. The Roxy, the Whiskey, did not matter where we just wanted to get on that beating, thumping, vibrating dance floor and move our bodies until the lights came on and the bartender yelled out “last call for alcohol.”
MY FITNESS CAREER on MUSIC:
Music and exercise, it is like peanut butter and jelly. Rhythmic music goes with the movement of your body. Whether it is on shuffle or your homemade playlist, it is more motivating to exercise to music. The strokes of the notes go with the extension of our limbs.
When I first started teaching fitness, Pilates was a quiet sport. Maybe some oldies playing on the boom box in the background or no sound at all.
I cannot imagine having a career that didn't involve the depth of music that I get to use. When I teach a fitness class, I create an experience which in part comes from the playlist. I find music that complements my teaching, and if I do not love the songs, that reflects on how my energy flows. So I have to love it, but of course part of my relationship with my students depends on my generosity, so I always throw in a couple of faves that I know are crowd pleasers. A great fitness class touches everyone; all generations must be reached, a clever mix and mash-up will appeal to the masses.
What song do you hear in a fitness class that when it comes on you feel like pushing that extra mile, hang on to plank for ten seconds more, that sound that sends your adrenaline soaring and you feel like you can make that last rep?
MOOD MUSIC:
Music sets the mood like candles and aromatherapy to enhance the atmosphere. Sweet songs that flow through our ears like velvet, it is better than any drug. Music has that ability to make us feel high and heal our heart.
Dopamine is that feel good chemical that gets released when we workout, eat chocolate, have sex. It is a feeling that we can become addicted to and crave. So it makes sense that when that special song pops up on the radio while driving along with friends, we turn it up, scream with excitement (yeah, you know who you are!) and start singing along with probably more emotion than the artist who recorded it.
Music and sound can make us feel limitless and free us from inhibitions and can inspire us to take ourselves to places we never thought possible. Music ignites my passion and creativity whether it is writing or cooking or fitness, It is a gift to be able to listen to what I love while I do what I love. Not many people get to say that.
Music lives in your heart and touches our soul and are stored forever in our memory bank. The songs, and sounds of nature, those dark nights when all you hear is the crackling of the campfire, the crickets, and the coyote's howl. The ones that are piped into the ceiling of the elevator, the ones in your fitness class, or jamming with your bestie. Stadium concerts, playing tunes in your car on a long road trip, and those soothing noises from a sound machine of waves, the wind, and raindrops that calm you down when you have a massage. A parents connection as they listen to their unborn child's heartbeat on an ultrasound. Whether it is classical, rock, rap, pop, soul, jazz, country, techno, house. To each his own when it comes to the composition of notes. Lyrics or instrumental they all tug at our heart, move our soul and bridge our mind to memories, back to those cherished moments.
There are those first-time “love songs” the first dance, first kiss, “our song” but they transcend all holidays.
So friends, Valentine's Day, as fun as it may be to have that one special day to say “I Love You” (sounds kinda silly when I put it that way) doesn’t have a song. No, No, don’t tell me that ALL love songs are reserved for the month of February, that is not true. Love happens all year and knows the no-one-and-only season. Those “love songs” the ones from so long ago, that told stories, first love, first heartbreak. I would play them loud so my sobbing could not be heard by anyone, including me. Those songs that hurt so much back then make me smile now. This experiment turned out to be therapeutic. I progressed after the X-mas tunes into a stroll down memory lane, creating MY soundtrack to my life. The nostalgia was intense I shed a couple of tears, I got up and danced along, I sang, and laughed. I was completely consumed in the journey reminiscing to all music that has traveled with me through the years, some that have literally saved my life. The best part is that they are just a push button away any time I need them.
