You have the technology. You can rebuild your workout. You can make it better than it was before. Better, stronger, faster. The key? Music.

If you download something up-tempo onto your digital audio player and slap on those headphones when you cycle, walk, or run, you'll cover 11 percent more ground without even feeling it.

What Workout?
C'mon. Admit it. When you're humming along to your favorite tunes, you're less likely to whine and moan the last 10 minutes of your workout. (Need a better, faster workout? Try this 20 minute one.) And you're less likely to poop out completely and toss in the towel, because music has the amazing ability to make you feel like you're not exerting yourself so much. It's the ultimate workout distraction. Here's another way to stay motivated.

Bonus Time
And research shows another benefit to sweating to the oldies (or hip-hop, or rock): a mental boost. Working out to music squashes depression and may even enhance verbal fluency. Here's to being healthy, happy, and more eloquent! (And what about more confident? Here's why confidence is key during exercise.)

Stuck in an exercise rut? Here's why you should mix it up more.

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Short-term effects of exercise and music on cognitive performance among participants in a cardiac rehabilitation program. Emery, C. F., Hsiao, E. T., Hill, S. M., Frid, D. J., Heart & Lung 2003 Nov-Dec;32(6):368-373.

Music enhances exercise performance but not the physiological recovery following exercise. Meeks, J. D., Herdegen, R. T., presented at the Annual Meetings of the American Psychological Society, June 21-23, 2002, New Orleans, LA.

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