GeekSugar

Salute the Sun: A Morning Yoga Playlist

Lizzie Fuhr — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 01:24:46 PDT

Sun Salutation can mark a beautiful, introspective time in your day, and I'm a huge fan of employing the help of some happy, sunny tunes to get me motivated and centered. Starting a day with even just 20 minutes on the mat can make a big difference in how you look at the world around you. If your morning practice is feeling a little tired - or like me, you've literally fallen asleep on your mat in the morning! - try out these tunes to see if something new will work. I've got you covered, whether you're into the smooth, sweet sounds of Norah Jones, or old school soul like Bill Withers is your style. And if you're feeling particularly down in the dumps, hear me out and allow me to suggest some Styx. I once had a teacher kick off a morning vinyasa class with this tune, and the whole class started cracking up. But at about 30 seconds in, the happy energy in the room was basically palpable!

Find out how to do a Sun Salutation A sequence here or a Sun Salutation B sequence here.

Keep reading to see the full 10 tracks on the list.

Alternative Rock Winter Playlist

Anna Monette Roberts — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 01:50:01 PST

Rather than run Christmas classics ragged when working out, opt to play these alternative tunes mentioning Winter, snow, and the holidays. Upbeat tracks from bands like Vampire Weekend will keep you feeling powered up despite the dreary weather. Mumford and Sons, Simon and Garfunkel, Fleet Foxes, and the Head and the Heart offer classic, folk rock sound and seasonally appropriate lyrics so you can still shake it (without having to listen to something like "Jingle Bell Rock") in the spirit of the holidays. Winter-themed songs from the Dodos, Swimming With Dolphins, and I Break Horses are lively and addictive to keep your spirits high even though the temperatures are low.

See the track list.

Push to the Beat: Creating the Ultimate Labor and Delivery Playlist

Rebecca M Gruber — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 08:36:22 PDT

Music can be magical. Ask any athlete who's getting ready for a big game, or a runner who needs an extra jolt to make it to the finish line - they'll often say it was a specific song or beat that got them there.

While there's no secret to a quick and easy labor, plenty of mamas will credit a playlist of motivating songs for getting them through the final push. It energized them and blocked out sounds that may have distracted them in the process. Birthbeats offers up one midwife's ideal birthing playlist, but we want to know what's on yours? Did you have a specific song you wanted playing when your lil one entered the world? Or did you have a full-on playlist created to help you through the marathon of labor? Tell us in the comments below!

Work Out With Lady Gaga

Self — Wed, 25 May 2011 05:03:00 PDT

We are pumped to share one of our fave stories from Self here on FitSugar!

Lady Gaga has finally dropped her latest masterpiece, and Born This Way was born to inspire our workouts. The '80s-inspired opus is full of gym-ready grooves, from Eurodisco to Latin rhythms. Let's get moving!

Gaga training sessions with Harley Pasternak consist of a 25-minute routine combining strength and cardio. The trainer has attributed her killer abs to an intense regimen of crunches, but we know the pop star is a fan of core-chiseling yoga as well. With her new album freshly loaded on our iPods (the fourteen songs clock in at exactly one hour), we took her daily drill to the next level.

First, we hand-picked eight tracks (35 minutes) to keep our feet pounding the treadmill - raising your heart rate for at least a half hour will melt fat so your toned muscles emerge. Warm up with the easy-paced "Electric Chapel." Lady Gaga's monster singles - "Hair," the Madonna-esque "Born This Way," club-thumping "Judas" and Bruce Springsteen-inspired epic "Edge of Glory"- all made our list. Then we added the Debbie-Gibson-meets-Donna-Summers jam "Marry The Night," the empowering, rave-worthy "Scheibe" and "Highway Unicorn (Road To Love)," with its "run, run" lyrics.

Read on for the rest of this energizing hour-long workout after the break!

Grammy Winners to Add to Your Workout Playlist

Leta Shy — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 12:55:25 PST

As usual, the Grammys gave us a mix of performances, with some artists going sweet and others aiming for adrenaline-inducing. The list of winners were just as eclectic. While you may not be sweating it out to multiwinner Lady Antebellum's song of the year, there are some tried and true artists whose songs are the perfect motivators for your workout. Listen to these big winners from last night and see if there are any to add to your playlist!

Take a listen and learn more about the winner when you

Best female pop vocal performance: "Bad Romance" - Lady Gaga
Best metal performance: "El Dorado" - Iron Maiden
Best remixed recording, nonclassical: "Revolver" - Madonna
Best hard rock performance: "New Fang" - Them Crooked Vultures
Best rap performance by a duo or group: "On to the Next One" - Jay-Z & Swizz Beatz
Best urban/alternative performance: "F*** You" - Cee Lo Green
Best rap song: "Empire State of Mind" - Jay-Z feat. Alicia Keys
Best dance recording: "Only Girl (in the World)" - Rihanna
Best rap solo performance: "Not Afraid" - Eminem

Get Your Groove On With Free Valentine's Day Playlists

Kristy Korcz — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 04:00:46 PST

There's nothing like a personalized mixtape to bring back those retro butterflies, but let's face it - you got rid of your dual deck many moons ago. If you're planning on staying in this Valentine's Day (to play a few games, perhaps?), create the right mood with a sweet playlist. The good news for busy bees: Amazon and Pandora have come through with some preset playlists for love - Amazon with a popular music mix, and Pandora with a rad '80s love collection - so you can just sit back and enjoy the day instead of sweating it out over iTunes.

Of course, if you still love the idea of gifting a mixtape, you can always snag this cool Mix Tape card set from Etsy ($13), or one like it at your local paper store.

A Reader's Playlist Tested on a Trial Run

OnSugar Blog — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 04:30:46 PDT

Find musical inspiration for your next run from the OnSugar blog Fitter Happier

Music is really important to me when I'm working out. It makes me feel like running and it gives me that push when I'm feeling tired. I recently read a really good post by runningnina on FitSugar about musical motivation and it's so true for me. I'm not even sure I could run without music. For me, a great running tune has to be upbeat and fast; I also like a few angry hard-hitting rock or rap songs in there. I was playing around with my playlist on iTunes the other day and managed to delete my whole running playlist from my iPod! Did you know that you can't restore a playlist if it's not saved anywhere other than your iPod? No, neither did I. I took my mistimed click as an opportunity to create a new one, which is OK as my old playlist was getting a bit tired.

Sometimes you don't know how good a song will be to run to until you play it, so I (literally) gave it a trial run on Sunday. The list goes like this:

"La La La" - LMFAO (I actually love all of this album for running, you just can't take it seriously)

"Yes" - LMFAO

"Somebody Else's Guy" - Jocelyn Brown

"American Boy" - Estelle ft Kanye

"EZ Pass" - Har Mar Superstar

"Stronger" - Kanye

To see who else makes an appearance on this fun playlist, head to over Fitter Happier. While you're at it, why not start your own running blog on OnSugar?

Music Service Rdio Launches Today

GeekSugar — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 14:00:04 PDT

Subscription-based social music service Rdio officially launched today, providing users unlimited access to 7 million songs on their computers and phones. The service costs $10 per month for web, mobile, and offline access, or $5 monthly for web only. Choosing the $10 subscription gives you an open door to playlists via newly updated apps for iPhone and Android; a BlackBerry app is also available.

But serving up music on your computer and phone isn't all Rdio has going for it. Find out what makes this player unique when you read more.

Listen to a Soundtrack For Your Mood With StereoMood

GeekSugar — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 08:30:37 PDT

I can't get enough of all of the great music sites and apps out there, and today I found another new obsession, StereoMood. To get started, choose your mood - from emotions as simple as "happy" and as creative as "driving Route 66." StereoMood will create a playlist of hundreds of songs to suit your mood. In my opinion, the playlists are spot-on; while some songs are repeated across multiple playlists, they do accurately reflect what you're feeling.

An added bonus: if you're not feeling quite as happy, sweet, or chill as you'd like, just cue up your desired playlist and let the music change your mood. You can also create a music library of your own by adding tracks from playlists, tag songs, share tunes with friends, or purchase the song from Amazon or iTunes directly from a certain playlist.

Holiday Leftovers: A Fun-Filled (and Geeky) Christmas

GeekSugar — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 10:00:06 PST

Did you get everything you wanted under the tree this morning? If so, congrats! If not, don't forget you can blow off some steam (and burn up that gift card you "unwrapped" from your mom) online for some serious retail therapy . . . even today. So before the family dinner begins, take a look at some fun and geeky ways to spruce up your holiday with ambiance, great photos, and even connect with your family through video games - anything is possible!

Spend Your Gift Cards	Set The Mood	Play a Game
Pose With The Family	Take Drool-Worthy Pics	Capture the Twinkling Lights

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