5 Benefits of Listening to Music When Running
In this post, you’ll learn about the benefits of listening to music when running.
Running is one of the most productive and popular pastimes you could ever wish for.
The many health benefits of running well documented. Running helps boost your metabolism, promotes weight loss, and boosts mood.
It’s not surprising so many people are lacing up their running shoes and heading outside for a jog.
One of the best things about running is the fact that you can do it almost anywhere. You don’t need any fancy pieces of equipment.
All you really need are the bare essentials and you can have yourself one heck of a workout.
But what are the bare essentials?
Well, that depends on whom you speak to. You have running shoes, and workout clothing, a water bottle, but is there anything else? Actually, yes there is.
Most runners agree that listening to music is can be helpful when running. Music when running can make one heck of a difference.
So in the rest of this article, we’re going to be looking at some benefits of listening to running.
Let’s dive in.
1. Music helps to reduce pain
If you’ve never experienced pain during and after a run, you’ve probably not run hard enough.
Running is an extremely physically demanding activity. And as a result, it takes a physical toll on your body.
When you run regularly, you’ll often experience sore, stiff, and aching muscles, joints, and tendons.
It’s your body responding to the physical activity you’re performing.
But music can help. Let me explain.
When you have pain, receptors in the body transmits signals to the brain’s cortical areas. The mechanism in the brain interprets this information using different sensory components
Studies show that listening to music affects cortical pathways or areas. This leads to a pain-reducing effect.
Rather than suffering with things like shin splints, and painful DOMS, choose music. If you listen to music when running it can help to reduce pain and discomfort.
Other studies continue to show the impact of music on pains.
The findings show that listening to music can help to reduce pain in a variety of different ways. This makes it ideal for runners who are really ‘feeling the burn’.
2. Music motivates you
Do you ever find that on some days you just can’t seem to motivate yourself to exercise and do anything productive?
No matter how much you want it, you can’t get the motivation and as a result, your runs suck?
If so, then listening to music could work wonders.
Listening to your favorite music will motivate you. And it will help inspire you to work that little bit harder.
Research in Psychology of Sport and Exercise reports that music can help you start. The study found that music helps hone attention and improves motivation.
When you crank up the volume and blast out your favorite tunes your adrenaline kicks in.
And your motivation and energy levels will shoot up. This means that you wind up having an incredibly productive run.
3. Music reduces stress
Stress is often referred to as the ‘silent killer’.
This is because it causes many physical and mental health issues. These issues can be fatal.
Not only does stress damage your health, but it can also hinder your workouts.
When you’re dealing with stress, it can be hard to get your head in the game. It becomes difficult to focus on your running with your mind racing.
Worse, physical exertion also results in the production of a stress hormone known as cortisol.
Researchers from McGill University reported a link between listening to music and stress.
4. Music lowers the activation of stress hormones
One of the many benefits of listening to music when running is that it keeps your mind occupied.
Music helps to suppress the production and secretion of cortisol.
This is where listening to music when running is so handy. This means that you can focus on your run without being negatively impacted by stress.
It makes running fun
Okay, to some people, running is a fun, albeit difficult activity, yet to others, it’s a chore that must be done.
As a result of this, some people work decidedly harder when running than others.
Those that find it fun are statistically more likely to work harder. They give it that little bit more effort when running than those who don’t enjoy it.
According to most runners, listening to their favorite music when running makes the activity more enjoyable.
This helps them to look forward to it and work harder when doing it. The harder you work, the more productive your runs will become.
5. You have more control
“I love the generic music at the gym,” said no one ever.
If you head to a commercial gym to exercise, you’re stuck with the generic music blasting out of the speakers. Unless your headphones are particularly good.
By creating your playlist you have one of the greatest benefits of listening to music when running by yourself. You gain more control over your own music.
You become the DJ of your mini running party as you control what you listen to.
