Gym Playlists Are Fun

Do other people obsess over their iPod workout playlists? I've spent hours on mine and am constantly trying to improve and update it. I purchased "Gangnam Syle" from the iTunes store way before Psy was even asked to make that Super Bowl dancing pistachio commercial. I want a mix of songs that will make me happy as well as get me going. Tempo and lyrics matter a lot and ranging through the decades keeps things interesting. So I work that playlist almost as much as I actually work out.

                                         

Sometimes I wonder if I'm alone in this, but I really need my tunes to get me through that early morning hour at the gym. It baffles me to see folks just watching TV or reading while on the machines. How can they step it up without "Cat Scratch Fever" or "Pump It" blasting through their ear buds? Is CNN that motivating? How about that New York Times magazine? I like to read as much as the next guy, but printed words generally don't make me move any faster.

Today happened to be my first day back at the gym after a two week hiatus.When I plugged that iPod in, I was eager to get back at it and make up for the time I lost. Of course, you have to love the Shuffle feature. Some of the songs that came up this morning really hit home. Remember "Hurt So Good" by John Cougar? Oh, wait, I mean John Cougar Mellencamp. Or was it just John Mellencamp? Well, no matter which name our singer-songwriter used then, it's from 1982. It has a great beat and it's easy to move to. But, it wasn't the best choice for me today because the chorus goes like this:

Hurt so good.

Come on, Baby, make it hurt so good.

Sometimes love don't feel like it should.

You make it hurt so good.

You lie, John. You lie. Yes, it hurts, but there's nothing good about that at the moment. Maybe I can't do this. Maybe Couch to 5K won't work for me. Oh, and maybe I ought not listen to a guy who smokes as much as I used to.

Should I mention that later on we got to "I Want Candy"? Probably not since that's one of the reasons I got so out of shape in the first place. But then during my cool down from right out of the 70's the Bee Gees sang "Stayin' Alive" to me.  Oh yeah, I am but just barely at the moment. 

Whether you're a brother or whether you're a mother,

you're stayin' alive, stayin' alive.

Feel the city breakin' and everybody shakin',

and we're stayin' alive, stayin' alive.

Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin' alive, stayin' alive.

Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin' alive.

Life's goin' nowhere. Somebody help me.

Somebody help me, yeah.

Life's goin' nowhere. Somebody help me.

Somebody help me yeah. Stayin' alive.

Let's not go into detail about the shakin' part. I'm going somewhere because the gauge says 3.10 miles.  Stayin' alive is definitely hard work. Somebody help me get this playlist in order because I have to do this all over again tomorrow morning.