I spend a lot of time sharing fitness tips on this blog, and while I am very diligent about scheduling regular gym sessions into my routine, I have been really struggling to keep up lately.
It’s as though I’ve completely run out of steam.
Now, I could blame so many different things for this lack of motivation I’ve been feeling – all of the sicknesses my daughter keeps bringing home from kindergarten, the cold and dreary weather, a lack of Vitamin D, the fact that we haven’t had a vacation in over 9 months – but I had a moment of clarity a couple of weeks ago and realized what the real problem is.
I’ve simply been overdoing it.
I’ve been burning the candle at both ends for far too long, and my body needs a break.
So, for the first time in I don’t know how long, I decided to take a 2-week break from the gym. I was initially worried this decision would be one of the worst I’ve made in my adult life, and that I would put on a ton of weight and have no outlet for my stress, but I found the exact opposite happened.
By giving my body a break from the GO! GO! GO! lifestyle I’ve become so accustomed to, I finally have a good balance in my life, and I feel more relaxed and less fatigued than I have in ages. I’ve also noticed a decrease in my appetite now that I’m not burning 500+ calories on the treadmill each day on top of all of the other running around I do on little-to-no sleep, which has enabled me to make healthier food choices.
And can you believe I finally lost those last 5 lbs I’ve been struggling to shed from my waistline since last June?!
It’s been pretty fantastic.
Of course, all good things must come to an end, and with my energy levels back to where they should be, and a better perspective on the importance of maintaining a proper balance and not running myself into the ground again, I am really looking forward to getting back on the treadmill on Monday morning.
But before I do that, I need to load some new workout songs on my iPod to keep me pumped, so I spent the greater part of last night going through my iTunes library, and came up with THE ultimate gym playlist.
From Mark Ronson’s Uptown Funk and Robin Schulz’s Prayer In C, to Coleman Hell’s 2 Heads and Justin Bieber’s What Do You Mean?, these workout songs will make you want to workout LONGER and HARDER. Guaranteed!
If you click on the affiliate links below (or the ‘view’ button in the album above), they will take you straight to iTunes where you can preview and listen to the songs to decide which ones you like the most.
1. Boom Clap by Charli XCX
2. Goodbye (feat. Islove) by Glenn Morrison
3. Fancy (feat. Charli XCX) by Iggy Azalea
4. Open Wide (feat. Big Sean) by Calvin Harris
5. Lips Are Movin by Meghan Trainor
6. Uptown Funk (feat. Bruno Mars) by Mark Ronson
7. Prayer In C (Robin Schulz Radio Edition)
8. Summer by Calvin Harris
9. Animals by Maroon 5
10. Waves (Robin Schulz Radio Edition) by Mr. Probz
11. FourFiveSeconds by Rihanna and Kayne West and Paul McCartney
12. Wake Me Up by Avicii
13. Outside (feat. Ellie Goulding) by Calvin Harris
14. Promesses (feat, Kaleem Taylor) by Tchami
15. Locked Out of Heaven by Bruno Mars
16. Sugar by Maroon 5
17. All of Me by John Legend
18. Raise Your Glass by P!NK
19. Outlines by Mike Mago & Dragonette
20. Moves Like Jagger (feat. Christina Aguilera) by Maroon 5
21. Rather Be (feat. Jess Glynne) by Clean Bandit
22. All About That Bass by Meghan Trainor
23. Not a Bad Thing by Justin Timberlake
24. Scream & Shout (feat. Britney Spears) by will.i.am
25. Am I Wrong by Nico & Vinz
26. Party Rock Anthem (feat. Lauren Bennett & GoonRock) by LMFAO
27. Best Day of My Life by American Authors
28. Story of My Life by One Direction
29. I’m an Albatraoz by AronChupa
30. Work B**ch by Britney Spears
31. Pompeii by Bastille
32. Thinking Out Loud by Ed Sheeran
33. Same Love (feat. Mary Lambert) by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
34. Run This Town (feat. Rihanna & Kayne West) by JAY Z, Rihanna & Kayne West
35. Happy by Pharrell Williams
36. Turn Me On (feat. Nicki Minaj) by David Guetta
37. Price Tag (feat. B.o.B) by Jessie J
38. Jealous (I Ain’t Worth It) by Chromeo
39. Talk Dirty (feat. 2 Chainz) by Jason Derulo
40. Thrift Shop (feat. Wanz) by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
41. What Do You Mean? by Justin Bieber
42. Sugar by Robyn Schulz, Francesco Yates
43. Lean On by Major Lazer, MØ, DJ Snake
44. Cheerleader by OMI
45. Levels by Nick Jonas
46. Hide Away by Daya
47. Stitches by Shawn Mendes
48. Hula Hoop by OMI
49. Locked Away by R. City, Adam Levine
50. On My Mind by Ellie Goulding
51. Can’t Feel My Face by The Weeknd
52. Here by Alessia Cara
53. Roses by The Chainsmokers, ROZES
54. Break a Sweat by Becky G
55. Love Myself by Hailee Steinfeld
56. I Don’t Like It, I Love It (feat. Robin Thicke & Verdine White) by Flo Rida
57. Dangerous by Alyssa Reid
58. Hotline Bling by Drake
59. Want to Want Me by Jason Derulo
60. Sound of Your Heart by Shawn Hook
61. Ex’s and Oh’s by Elle King
62. Marvin Gaye (feat. Meghan Trainor) by Charlie Puth
63. Love Me Like You by Little Mix
64. Same Old Love by Selena Gomez
65. Fight Song by Rachel Platten
66. How Deep is Your Love by Calvin Harris, Disciples
67. Cool For The Summer by Demi Lovato
68. Drag Me Down by One Direction
69. Sorry by Justin Bieber
70. Where Are Ü Now (with Justin Biber) by Jack Ü
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If these workout songs pumped you up at the gym, please share this Ultimate Gym Playlist on Pinterest!
