Several years ago, I got a job manning the helpdesk at an ISP in California. Thus, sitting at a desk for a living spelled the downfall of my physique, and I began to gain weight at a slow but alarming rate. I was up 40 lbs. from my prior weight by the time I left California, and it continued to increase after taking one tech job after another.
I had tried some exercise plans in the past, but none really seemed to do the trick. Even the Couch to 5k plan, with which I recently had more success, wasn't enough to stave off the spare tire forming around my middle. With that, I resolved at the beginning of 2011 to lose 35 lbs before July 1st.
I don't need to expound too many details, but I started the Cto5K plan again, and this time, I was able to complete it. I've never been a fan of running, even in my peak physical condition at the end of high school, when i was active in martial arts. But damn it all, I did it. I was able to run a 5k. It felt awesome. That may not seem like much of a run to those seasoned athletes out there, but to me, this was a milestone...so to speak. (A 5-kilometer-stone?)
I've change my diet somewhat, bringing in fewer calories and whatnot, but I think one of the biggest factors in my ability to complete the plan was a well-tested and proven playlist of running tunes. As I said, I had tried this plan in the past, and each time I made small tweaks to the list to give optimum push to complete each segment. The following is a list of the songs on the list (Not all the songs on my list are there, but I have provided one from each artist on the list that stands out above their other selections):
- Not Alone - All That Remains
- Anthem (We Are The Fire) - Trivium
- Training Montage - Northern Kings
- Revolution Deathsquad - Dragonforce
- Take This Oath - Killswitch Engage
- Kids Who Wanna Play With The Dead - Lordi
- The Judas Kiss - Metallica
- Keep Quiet - The Protomen
- Paper Tigers - Thrice
- Time To Rock - Astral Doors
- Out On The Streets - Bang Camaro
- Reborn - Stone Sour
- Own Little World - Celldweller
- Beatiful Things - Andain
- Joe Strummer - Cowboy Mouth
- Professional Killer - KMFDM
- Metal Dance - The Megas
- Give It All - Rise Against
- Stranger Than Fiction - Bad Company
And last on the list, the song that always worked; The one song that - no matter how exhausted, fed-up and ready-to-die I became - would pull me closer to my goal with fervor and determination:
- My Land - Sonata Arctica
I'm not sure what exactly about that song does it for me, but I know it works.
This little bit of prideful exposition may or may not help you - or someone you know - build a playlist that will make the transition from the couch to the trail (or treadmill), but I can at least hope that it was entertaining in some way. Regardless if these songs are used for running, lifting, riding, driving or just sitting around playing Burnout, I hope they're of some use.
As a side note, since the beginning of my resolution, I've dropped 20 lbs. Suck on that,desk job.
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