<![CDATA[MAGNETIC WEST MUSIC - Fitness]]>Fri, 03 Apr 2026 10:00:24 -0700Weebly<![CDATA[My Top 3 Spotify Playlists for Running & Workouts]]>Tue, 27 Sep 2022 01:08:28 GMThttps://www.magneticwestmusic.com/fitness/my-top-3-spotify-playlists-for-running-workoutsRevised with new songs, these 1 hour Spotify playlists are
my 3 best collections for running and workouts.
Click the album cover to discover these tracks and get moving!
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]]><![CDATA[music in motion:  TRAIL MIX Playlist​]]>Mon, 26 Sep 2022 07:00:00 GMThttps://www.magneticwestmusic.com/fitness/music-in-motion-a-unique-fitness-playlist
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  Music moves us like the shifty weather through the dynamics of life and the right song can shape our day like magic mood medicine.  Here are some select songs that can turn one’s early morning staring at the ceiling exercise into a motivated, extended workout session or turn a stumble to the coffeeshop into an empowering trail running adventure guided by tempo and melodies. 

While these select tunes do all share upbeat elements, their varying tempos and styles compliment a range of motivational tendencies from Sea Wolf’s You’re A Wolf setting the beat perfectly for cardio moves like jumping jacks to Icona Pop’s All Night dance beat giving you that extra pulse of confidence to charge an uphill run.  However, this collection of tunes, which runs about 40 minutes, would not be complete without the fascinating journey of pumping the Broken Bells’ extremely motivating, dynamically effective song Perfect World through your earbuds. 

come listen to these curated songs for fitness motivation and in general as good vibes!
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​What songs are on your fitness playlists?     
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LISTEN : Trail Mix Playlist
]]><![CDATA[Feel The Beat! - 5 minute Workout set]]>Mon, 01 Jun 2020 17:25:18 GMThttps://www.magneticwestmusic.com/fitness/feel-the-beat-5-minute-workout-setJoin me for this workout + move to the music!

I created two workout songs and in this video I follow their beat in a set of exercises to get your heart pumpin' !
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]]><![CDATA[The Top 5 Fitness Music Playlists to Follow on Spotify]]>Fri, 27 Mar 2020 17:48:11 GMThttps://www.magneticwestmusic.com/fitness/the-top-5-fitness-music-playlists-to-follow-on-spotifyWhether you are leading a workout class, going for a run, hittin' the gym or motivating yourself for some other activity, try these well-crafted playlists to get you pumped up. 

Click on the images below to take you to the playlists in your Spotify App.  and make sure to show the playlist maker some love by following them on Spotify! 
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]]><![CDATA[Music in Motion: Out and About with the Mighty!]]>Wed, 22 Jan 2020 02:58:05 GMThttps://www.magneticwestmusic.com/fitness/music-in-motion-out-and-about-with-the-mighty
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( disclosure: I may be compensated through the links in the post below, but the opinions are my own. ) ​

​OUT OF RANGE //

I am on a trail run, up in the forest above the town of Ashland, Oregon where I live and all of a sudden the music stops!   I take my phone out and Spotify is frozen.  I immediately think :

I should have downloaded my Fit-Tunes Playlist before I left so that I could play the music without an WiFi or data connection! 

Since I had not done that, I am out of luck and I have no service..and no music!

I love Spotify ( read my article about it here ) but I don't tend to download music because it takes up too much space on my phone that is already loaded with apps. , photos and voice memos.  So when I go out of range, I have no music and that's no fun. 

So, my next thought is... I should be using my iPod Shuffle and then I remember, the songs on it are probably from 10 years ago and since Spotify has come along I haven't really purchased many new exciting MP3s from iTunes to put on my iPod Shuffle, wherever it is, I think it's in my sock drawer. Anyway, I think  : 
  If only I had a small lightweight device like it, that could have my Spotify Playlists on it. 
 - of course!       I need a  M I G H T Y ! 

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​ROAD TRIP EQUIPPED //

I was recently on tour, performing as singer/songwriter Son Ravello and I couldn't have done it without a Mighty music player.   It is important to me whenever I travel to have music and podcasts to listen to.  To get anywhere from Ashland, Oregon means going through the mountains and often out of cell phone range.   Not only did I need a solution to avoid the similar scenario of losing cell service and consequently my music on a trail run, but I also needed to save my cell phone data and not use it all up on a long road trips from streaming music and podcasts. 
Solution : 
I brought a Mighty with me. 
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my little orange Mighty in the passenger seat.
Whether you need a music player solution for fitness, hiking, road trips or a great screen free music and podcast player that you can program for your kids, Mighty is up for the task.  Check out some of the specs  below and feel free to comment with any questions. 
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]]><![CDATA[music in motion :  running + safety]]>Sat, 12 Oct 2019 20:52:45 GMThttps://www.magneticwestmusic.com/fitness/music-in-motion-running-safetyA fantastic way to boost your run is a playlist of powerful music.  A song can do more than just motivate you, it can also be a valuable tool to increase your stride rate which can reduce risk of injury. Until the Walkman kicked off the ability to sport portable recordings of your own, there was not an option to run  with music in your ears. As the technology evolved and iPods, smartphones and streaming music apps emerged,  it has become easier to listen to music on the run. With new devices like Mighty you can even listen to Spotify on the go without your phone.  Hitting the treadmill with a fresh playlist can fill your strides with miles of motivated beats. 
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But what about running outside? Is it safe to be tuned out? ​
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Some runners might still feel hesitant to embrace the luxury of music on the go because music can be a distraction. Perhaps you train with others or go running with friends to keep you company where you might want to stay available for conversation. And then some runners just feel like safety is the main reason to  drop the music from outdoor runs. 

​Being aware of your surroundings can be hindered by listening to music.  If you need to be able to run safely without having to worry about cars, pedestrians, and other runners,  should you still keep your earbuds in?
Music can draw your attention away from what you're doing and increase your risk of literally running into a dangerous situation like vehicles, unwelcome strangers, or a parking meter.  Distracted exercising can be compared to texting while driving.

​Safety concerns such as controlling your heart rate,  breathing patterns, and being able to hear are also valid considerations.  If you are running indoors on a treadmill at the gym it's one thing to want to tune out the sounds of the people working out next to you, but having the safety of knowing someone can’t sneak up on you or getting startled when someone passes you  is a valid consideration when running outdoors.  Are music and  headphones at fault or is it something deeper ?
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TIPS for RUNNING SAFELY withHEADPHONES

You can run safely with headphones, if you are willing to take the necessary precautions.
Here are some safety tips for listening to music while running outdoors.
Be situationally aware of your surroundings
While it is clear that there are some benefits to running with headphones and also some dangerous problems with it too, such as not being able to hear noises surrounding you ,  it is our choice of preparedness and proper awareness that is the basis for the potential circumstances of running outdoors with music to be in our favor or risk our safety. 
Awareness
Whatever activity you are engaging in outdoors, if you’re going to be doing anything near roads and traffic or around any other environmental dangers then you need to be aware of your surroundings and if you add in the element of music you can lose awareness of your surroundings.  Headphone manufacturers are very aware of this fact and have been recently creating headphones for fitness that allow the runner to enjoy their music while maintaining awareness.
 Choose the right earbuds or headphones
Wear Non-immersive earbuds or headphones. Non-immersive earbuds and headphones are especially designed not to exclude the sound around you. They were designed for runners in mind, and offer a fairly good compromise. They fit into your ears, but are designed so as not to cut out all other sound. Choose earbuds like the:
PLANTRONICS BACKBEAT FIT BLUETOOTH HEADPHONES
Don’t wear noise canceling headphones
Noise canceling headphones block out sound around you.  
​ Consider wearing on-ear workout headphones.  Open Ear Headphones like the
 Aftershokz AS400 Sportz 3 Open Ear Stereo Headphones that sit near the ear rather than in the ear make it possible and safe to tune in to music or voice communication without tuning out the world.
Volume 
With a strong audio power comes great volume-control responsibility.
Be sure to not turn your volume up too loud.  It's important to be aware of your surroundings.  
Apps 
​The Awareness! iPhone App. let’s you listen to music and control how much outside sound is heard and when so you can still hear things around you, like people talking, other  runners approaching from behind you.   You can choose how much, if any of your environment you hear. 
​> Unfortunately this App does not work with Bluetooth / Wireless headphones. 
> Your headphones or earbuds must have a good inline mic
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