Pump Up the Music or Enjoy the Sound of Nature!

What gets me pumped during a workout is music.
Before I made a gym playlist, I used to have to shuffle through songs while on the treadmill.  This slowed me down because every time I had to change a song, I would have to look down at my phone. Now that I made a playlist, I do a lot less of that! I'll only have to look down once in a while if I really want a certain song to play.

Whether you're into rock, hip-hop, EDM, mainstream, indie music, etc., make a playlist! Include up-beat songs and have a mixture of genres you like.  Make sure it gets you amped up and motivates you to workout hard. If you are cooling down, listen to relaxing yoga music or something soft.  Then eventually take the headphones out and have a minute or two of silence to give your ears a rest.

If you decide to take a walk outside or a jog in the neighborhood, bring your headphones, but keep in mind that it is nice to enjoy the sound of nature. Try to find a place where there are not so many cars, if possible. If you live in a congested area, research some trails or places near you that you can venture to. For example, running in NYC is a lot harder than running in the suburbs because you have to deal with people everywhere and traffic all over, along with plenty of congestion. If you have time, go to Central Park or any park that has space to run. It is healthy to get out of your environment and explore.

My neighborhood is a decent area to take a jog (I live in the suburbs), but day after day it can get boring. If I'm feeling spontaneous, I'll find a park or trail to satisfy myself.  If I don't have time for that but still still want to find an area with no cars, I'll go to my High School track and do some intervals like running a straight, jogging a curve, spring a straight, and speed walking a curve. Then I do exercises such as straight leg/touch toe kicks, knee-ups, butt kicks, squats (turning sideways and repeating them while moving with each stride), lunges, side shuffles, and side criss-cross foot shuffle. It is important to walk at least half a lap when cooling down after running the track (I do a full lap). While walking, I'll do arm circles - big, medium, and small, so that I'm cooling down my legs and stretching my arms at the same time. Then I finish up and stretch for 5 minutes.