Why should we listen to Christian workout music? And what does music do for our minds?
I know from my own state of mind that music can change my thoughts in an instant. I can go from feeling a little bit down, and then I’ll listen to a sad song and soon the tears are flowing like a river. OR…I can be a little bit up, and I’ll put on an upbeat, happy song and soon I’ll be dancing in the kitchen and ready to conquer the world!
What Does Christian Music Do?
It is not a secret that music changes our moods. Music can lift us up or bring us down, just like people can do to us. When we meet people who are downers, they can say something negative to us and that will immediately bring down our mood. BUT… the opposite is true as well. One person can say something positive to us, and immediately we feel better or happier about ourselves and we know that one compliment lifted us up.
Music can distract us or help us focus from things that might be going on around us. The words can captivate us and the beat can help us move and get things done quicker. For example, if I need to paint a room in my house, music can help me focus on having fun and changing the look of the room rather than focus on the chore that is set before me. That’s a good thing and I get the painting done in record time and enjoy the process.
The other thing that music can do is to distract us from things that hurt us, like pain or fatigue or painful emotions. We may feel like we can’t go for a walk or do a dance or a workout, but when we put the music on and we hear the beat, it can take our focus away from the pain and help us focus on something else. This would be a good distraction 🙂
Filling Our Minds With Things That Are True & Lovely & Praiseworthy
When listening to the right music or the right beat, it helps us move easier or walk faster. It helps people run farther, bike more miles, lift more weights or use harder dance moves. It helps us pick up the pace or get us into a different head space. I’m sure you know what I mean.
“In a 2012 review of the research, Costas Karageorghis of Brunel University in London, one of the world’s leading experts on the psychology of exercise music, wrote that one could think of music as “a type of legal performance-enhancing drug.”
Wow! A type of legal performance-enhancing drug? That means it is very powerful! A drug can be highly addictive and can enhance or destroy our life. So then it is VERY important to make sure we are filling our minds with things that are true and lovely and praiseworthy! We want the words to empower our minds. We want the music to bring us closer to Jesus rather than taking us away from Jesus.
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.
Philippians 4:8
So then our music… Our “legal-performance-enhancing drug” definitely needs to cause us to think about what God calls us to think about.
So then Christian workout music is certainly one way to fill our minds with words that can enhance our life and bring us closer to Jesus. Working out usually requires a significant amount of time, so this can be a wonderful way to fill our minds with things that are true and lovely. We can either worship while we workout, or be distracted by words that could potentially destroy or harm us. I know I enjoy the benefit of listening to words that lift me up!
What Else Can Christian Workout Music Do For You?
Well, if you need to get something done quicker, like cleaning your house…put on a good christian workout song and you’ll be dancing around your house getting your cleaning done in record time. You will be amazed at how much easier it is to get the mundane jobs done.
If you have children that like to dance or need to get out some energy, get them moving to some great christian workout music. They will be having fun moving their bodies and getting exercise without even knowing it. It’s a fun way to spend time with your children even in a confined space. (Like when it’s raining out and they need to move!)
Christian workout music will give you that feel-good hit of dopamine. You may feel sluggish and feel that you need to get that caffeine into your veins. But, you will be surprised at what an upbeat song will do for you. Soon your feelings of sluggishness will be lost in the beat and you’ll be tapping your toes. The beat of the song has a big influence on how many steps or how many moves we make in a certain amount of time. The average beats per minute for running or dancing is around 160 beats per minute. You can find lots of music online at different beats per minute, so find the songs that work best for you.
Recommended Christian Workout Music Playlist
Christian workout music may also trigger memories from your past. As you listen to the words of the songs, and maybe the songs were hits from years gone by, you may find that these songs trigger something in you and they flood your heart with warm fuzzy feelings and thoughts from years ago. Some songs totally remind me of a certain person – and I think to myself – “That was their song!” or “That was Our Song!” These memories make me smile and I’m so thankful for the time I got to spend with them.
This Christian workout music may just fill your mind with past adventures or experiences you had. Or, it’s just fun to remember. It’s okay to go down memory lane sometimes 🙂
All in all, christian workout music has a stimulating beat that can get you moving. There are so many songs and so many different styles of music and we all have our own preference. What style do you prefer? Rap, hip-hop, jazz, rock, pop, or something else?
So…I would like to encourage you today to find some Christian workout music that you love. See how it changes your countenance with just one 4-minute song. Try it and you will be amazed at how it will change your whole day!