Light Bulb Moment #1

I had my first light bulb moment today. I had worked out for 2 days with a goal to burn 300 calories during the cardio portion. Don’t let me kid you…that’s all I did those 2 days, the bare minimum!

Day 1 I was gung ho so doing the treadmill was just fine. My lower back began to hurt halfway through my 40 minutes because I was doing intervals, but I worked through the pain and felt great afterwards. (I have a friend who will explain intervals and how to find your best heart rate while doing them. That posting will come sometime next week…say tuned!)

Day 2 sucked! I put it off until the last possible minute (4 pm) then did 30 minutes of intervals that I kicked up a notch to get a higher burn so I could be done quicker (sneaky, huh?). But I hated every second of it and had to play time and distance games in order to reach my 300 calories.

Day 3 was today and I knew I had to get the workout done in the morning or I would be as miserable as yesterday. So at 10 am I hit the treadmill but this time I brought my ipod with me. I have exactly 1 workout playlist – it’s Zumba music and I love it. As soon as the 1st song started I was in my element and knew I could finish this workout hands down! What a relief!

In my single life I worked as a radio DJ for a few years. I love most genres of music. But I find that as I aged and had kids, a loud husband, 3 large dogs and an 85-yr-old live-in FIL that I need more quiet time. Time just to hear myself think. The result is I hardly listen to music anymore. Sure I sing to myself all day, but it’s not the same.

So I got to thinking that the Zumba music really had a big impact on my mood and isn’t my mood affected by my serotonin levels? I spent 20 minutes on the web and found a few good articles that talk about ways to increase your serotonin levels without drugs. Guess what they are? Eating a good diet, getting exercise, getting adequate sleep, basically, living life the right way. And music helps elevate those levels as well.

According to Mary Ann Copson, founder of the Evenstar Mood & Energy Wellness Center for Women, research indicates that in the United States 60-80% of the people, especially women, have low serotonin levels.

So, it seems so many of us need to make changes in our lifestyles. Here’s my contribution – my Zumba playlist. Hope you enjoy it!