Assignment 1B Social Technologies - iTunes
Assignment 1B Social Technologies - iTunes
I'm a huge fan of iTunes. I have a playlist for pretty much everything from writing, to housework, to PMS depression. Usually I use my housework list for the gym, however, I decided this assignment would be a perfect opportunity to make a dedicated playlist. For the list, I went through iTunes and pulled up about an hour's worth of songs that I love and that motivate me. I then arranged them into what I thought would be a good order, taking into account pace, my own weights and cardio preferences and beat. To make the cut songs had to hold my interest throughout. Songs that I thought would be winners were discarded as unsuitable. As much as I love the Velvet Underground's "Femme Fatale" I found it didn't motivate me beyond snuggling up with a block of chocolate and a glass of wine, while Twisted Sister's less-loved "We're not Gonna Take It" had me pushing through weight training. I also found song order changed as I experimented with the list. What worked as a weightlifting song in my head turned out to be better for running. 'The Safety Dance' moved around a lot until it found a home in my 'zone run' portion of the list. Some songs made the list, but didn't make the Ping list. "Star Trekkin' " by The Firm should have been on the list as a running song but Ping wouldn't recognise it. Bad Ping >:(
To make the list, I worked out what I like to do. Basically my favoured one hour workout comprises of the following:
Warm Up - Walking from 5 kph and moving up in .5 kph increments for 5 minutes until I get to 6.5 kph. The gentle but firm rhythm of The Rolling Stones' "She's Like a Rainbow" got me going and helped me enter my own headspace for the next hour.
I'm not a fan of weight lifting, but as a woman in her early forties I know it's important to incorporate some weights in my day. I stick to big leg movements to maximise the number of muscles being used. I finally chose "Currrent Stand" by Kids in the Kitchen to help me make the transition fron warm up to weights. I like to do 2 x 15 leg presses followed by 4 x 15 glute presses. "We're not Gonna Take It" keeps me going with my legs as the beat is angry and determined and I find it helps me grind through. By this time I'm over legs and ready to move on to arms. I chose "Video Killed the Radio Star" as I work through 2 x 15 each of biceps, triceps and military presses. The movements are smaller than the leg movements so I chose a lighter song, one that makes me look back on my childhood and smile. It's fun and motivating in a more light-hearted way than "We're not Gonna Take It." In all, weights takes about 15 minutes and I'm into "Pride (In the name of Love" by U2. This is my transition into cardio.
Cardio is my favourite part of exercise and where I spend the bulk of my time. I love to eat and if I didn't exercise I would be a lot bigger than I am. Cardio makes up for a multitude of sins and so does the music I choose.
James' "Laid" is an old cardio favourite of mine. Sometimes I play it several times in a row because it focusses me on the motion of running. At just over 2 minutes, it's quite a short song. I go into this song feeling as if I can run the whole thing and I usually do, two to three times. By the time it's over I'm perspiring and feeling energised. This is where "Anarchy in the UK" by The Sex Pistols comes in. Again, the song is aggressive and I find myself easily keeping up a pace of 8 - 8.5 kph. "Baby It's You" by The Promises helps me make a transition from heavy running to a walk/run combination. When I walk I keep the incline high (3 - 6) while running is at an incline of 0 to 1. "Baby it's You" is perfect for this combination as is the next song, "Words" by The Monkeys.
Like "Laid", "Words" appears at every exercise session I undertake. I entered the Mother's Day Run at Lake Monger in both 2006 and 2007. Both times it was "Words" that got me around the 3.5k course without stopping. The MDR raises money for Breast Cancer and the helplessness I felt in the face of signs that read "I'm running for...." was tempered by the suppressed anger of "Words."
Men Without Hats' "Safety Dance" is a new addition to my iTunes library. My youngest children heard it at school a couple of weeks ago and came home asking about it. I'd forgotten it even existed. Thanks to their demands I added it to the library and then, after a couple of listens, to my list. It's a great song for wrapping up the hard session before I begin to decrease my heart rate again.
By the time "Safety Dance" is over, my heart rate is usually at about 144 - 150 bpm. I've walked/run hard for about 20 minutes (including "Star Trekkin'") and have another 5 or so left. I've recently discovered "Save Me San Francisco" by Train and have added it to my collection. This song brings my run down to a more measured walk (usually about 6.5kph) and my heart rate is usually down around 135 bpm by the time it's over. I want to give my heart a jolt at this point and speed up again to 7.5kph with "Randy Scouse Git" by The Monkees. It's not a huge increase, but it's enough for a slight raise before cool down.
Vangelis is perfect for the cool down phase of my work out and I prefer "I'll Find my Way Home" to pretty much any other song for bringing me back to earth. My breath regulates and my pulse decreases rapidly. By the time the song is over my heart rate is about 111 bpm, well outside the fat/cardio ratio of 117-144 bpm that a person of my age aims for. I'm not yet back at 80 either, so there is little risk of blood pooling.
"Vienna" by Ultravox is up next. This really calms me down and I find it easy to get into stretches with this playing. Without "Vienna" I quickly stretch my calves then head for home, but after the harsh work out I've just put it through my body deserves better. "Vienna" takes me through every part of the body as I work my abs then stretch my legs, arms, back and neck muscles. "Throw Your Arms Around Me" finalises my stretches and has me lying quietly for a few minutes. I don't do much more than lie on the mat, breathing deep and letting the day back in.
An hour after I enter the gym, I leave again, feeling energised and ready to continue my day. And music plays a huge role in that.
So, I did all that on my iTunes then joined Ping to share it. Only, I can't find an easy way to do so. Nothing on iTunes, Ping or Google shows how to upload it. So here's a snapshot I made using the snipping tool. If you search me on Ping my user name is Lyn Battersby. You can find the complete list there.
