How Music Can Level Up Your Next Walk

Listening to music can boost your mood and make walking feel easier. Check our feel-good song recommendations for your next stroll.

Walking can be a wonderful addition to your routine if you want to get more movement. It’s free, you can do it almost anywhere, and you may only need comfortable and supportive shoes.

Plus, walking has many benefits: strengthening your heart, lowering your blood sugar, and easing joint pain. Walking can also boost your mood and help you think creatively.

Listening to music can make it more enjoyable, whether you like to get your steps outside or on the treadmill. And there are benefits to it, too.

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Why listen to music while walking?

According to a 2020 research review, listening to music during a workout can boost your mood, reduce your awareness of how hard you’re working, and help your body exercise more efficiently.

Music can also help relieve pain. A 2016 review involving 97 studies found that music helps relieve acute and chronic pain better than medication alone.

Listening to upbeat music may even affect your speed. In a small 2013 study, participants took longer steps during faster, “activating” song excerpts. Being familiar with songs also prompted participants to pick up the pace in a 2015 study.

Tips for walking

If you want to walk as part of your daily or weekly routine, it’s important to talk with your doctor to make sure it’s the right type of movement for you. They can also recommend goals based on how long or far you want to walk.

Remember to stay hydrated, wear comfortable and supportive shoes, and take breaks when your body needs them.

And if you listen to music while walking, remember to charge your listening devices, like your smartphone, headphones, or speakers.

Some musical inspiration

We’ve got your back if you want a playlist to boost your mood during your next stroll around the block. The Bezzy editorial team curated a fun playlist of uplifting popular songs that feature a strong beat.

It can be helpful when the pace of a song relates to your heart rate during exercise. But your heart rate can vary, depending on a few factors, like your age and how fast you move.

We chose songs with a moderate pace of 100 beats per minute, so you won’t feel like speed-walking to a slow ballad.

The playlist is nearly 1 hour long, and we recommend breaking it up into a few different walks.

You can also follow and listen to this playlist on Spotify.

Is there a playlist theme you’d like to us to cover? Let us know by emailing us at article-feedback@bezzy.com.