workout – Topical Fruit

The Best Christmas Songs to Power Your Workout

If you thought Christmas music was just for decorating the tree or awkward family car rides, think again. Apparently, it is also perfect for breaking a sweat.

A new study looked at holiday songs that actually work for workouts, and the results might surprise you, or at least make your gym playlist a lot more festive.

The research comes from a site called MyBodyTutor, which analyzed 500 Christmas and holiday songs on Spotify. The goal was simple, find tracks with the right tempo to keep you moving.

According to fitness experts, songs with 120 to 150 beats per minute are ideal for moderate to high intensity workouts like running, cardio circuits, and strength training. Faster songs help keep your pace up, while slower ones are better for cooldowns.

Topping the list is a song nobody is shocked to see, Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You.” At 150 beats per minute, it hits the sweet spot for high energy workouts and officially earns its crown as the most fitness friendly Christmas song of all time. Love it or roll your eyes every time it comes on, Mariah might actually help you shave a few seconds off your mile.

Here is the full Top 10 Christmas songs to work out to, according to the study:

“All I Want for Christmas Is You” by Mariah Carey, 150 BPM
“Feliz Navidad” by José Feliciano, 149 BPM
“Jingle Bells” by Frank Sinatra, 148 BPM
“Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” by Brenda Lee, 146 BPM
“Jingle Bells” by Michael Bublé, 143 BPM
“Christmas Time Is Here” by August Burns Red, 143 BPM
“The Christmas Song” by Nat King Cole, 141 BPM
“Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town” by Bruce Springsteen, 141 BPM
“White Christmas” by Bing Crosby, 138 BPM
“Mistletoe” by Justin Bieber, 128 BPM

If you are doing high intensity interval training and really want to push it, the study points to Ariana Grande’s “Last Christmas,” which clocks in at a wild 206 beats per minute. That one is basically a sprint in song form. On the flip side, if you are winding down with stretching or yoga, Kelly Clarkson’s “Underneath the Tree” is a better fit at a calmer 95 BPM.

So yes, Christmas music can absolutely be workout music. And if Mariah Carey gets you through leg day, who are we to judge?

People Exercise Less in the Winter Because It’s “Too Cold and Too Dark”

It’s always easy to come up with an excuse for NOT exercising, and it’s even easier in the WINTER.

In a survey, 31% of people admitted to being “less active” in the winter months.

Here are the Top 10 excuses they gave for not exercising as much:

1. It’s too cold. (As opposed to the summer, when the top excuse would probably be “It’s too hot.”)

2. It’s too dark.

3. It’s too wet.

4. It’s harder to find the motivation.

5. I worry more about safety when exercising in the dark outside.

6. I have less energy.

7. I’m more likely to pull a muscle or strain something because of the cold weather.

8. Hibernation mode kicks in… I’d rather stay in and watch TV.

9. I’m less body-conscious in the winter because we wear more layers. (These last two are probably the most honest.)

10. Costs are get higher in winter due to heating bills and paying for Christmas, so I want to save on a gym membership.

Here are four “tips” to stay motivated:

Get outdoors every day, even if it’s just for a short walk.
Explore new outdoor places, and new types of indoor exercises.
Stick to regular routines to help cement healthy habits.
And listen to upbeat music all year ’round, at least when being active. “All I Want for Christmas Is You” isn’t exactly a WORKOUT BANGER.

Just Two Minutes of Exercise a Day Can Help You Live Longer

A study a while back claimed that four-second workouts might be enough to undo all the sitting we do.

Which, if you’re honest, makes this next study sound a little less thrilling… because four seconds is hard to compete with… but the exciting thing is that it kinda backs that up.

Scientists at the University of Sydney say that just two minutes of exercise a day can actually extend your life. (That is roughly five seconds per hour, or about eight seconds per hour you’re awake.)

They tracked 70,000 people aged 40 to 70 using activity trackers like Fitbits. And here’s the kicker: people who did just 15 minutes of vigorous exercise per week… roughly two minutes a day… were 18% less likely to die over the next five years. That’s less than the time it takes to scroll through Instagram on your lunch break.

The four-second study had participants pedaling as hard as they could on a stationary bike for four seconds, resting, repeating five times, and doing the whole thing eight times a day.

In total, that’s just 2 minutes and 40 seconds of hardcore effort. A couple minutes a day might help keep the Grim Reaper at bay.

Sure, more exercise is better. But the takeaway is clear: if all you can manage is a speed-walk to the fridge, you’re technically doing something right.

Hate Running? Science Says Learn to Juggle

If the idea of lacing up for a run or squeezing into a crowded gym makes you break out in hives, here’s a fun alternative: try juggling. Yes, really.

According to a recent feature in The New York Post, juggling is more than just a party trick… it’s surprisingly good for your brain and body. Multiple studies are now pointing to real cognitive and physical benefits, even if you’re just juggling two balls (which, let’s be honest, is most of us).

Researchers say the act of juggling can improve hand-eye coordination, reaction time, posture, and even balance. One neuroscientist explained that it actually “changes how quickly you react to objects, how well you coordinate between two hands, and how you keep your posture under control.” Translation: you might not become a circus performer, but you will sharpen your reflexes.

And it’s not just a brain booster. Juggling counts as light physical activity. Apparently it can burn up to 280 calories an hour, about the same as a brisk walk. So yes, you can technically burn off that latte while throwing things at yourself in the living room.

What’s even more encouraging is that it doesn’t require Cirque du Soleil-level talent to see results. A 2022 study followed a group of seniors learning to juggle and found that every single one of them eventually managed to juggle three balls. It took practice, but no one was left out.

Aside from being a decent workout and a brain booster, juggling is low-impact, cheap, and can be done indoors (read: no weather excuses). Plus, it might even give you a cool party trick.

So if you’re over burpees and done pretending yoga is “relaxing,” grab a couple of tennis balls and start dropping them. Just remember: if you’re not chasing at least one ball under the couch, you’re not doing it right.