I’ve been waiting all of Lent to bring an Alleluia back into my workouts! My attempts at sacrificial silence during Lent met a roadblock at the gym where I was invariably accompanied by a blaring Highway to Hell or some such motivational melody. Having AC/DC as my Lenten companion is certainly sacrificial… but just a shade further than I’m willing to suffer.
So I listened to music but was constantly forwarding past the alleluias and resurrection songs. I could have cheated… but oh, how wonderful it is to hold back a bit and allow Easter to come in with trumpets blaring. Playlist is now unchained and the Easter party has commenced!
Why music for exercise?
Movement is not optional for my body. If I stop, I lose function and my battle against debilitating disease. My desire to defend the well-being of this precious gift of body (for God’s service and glory) means engaging the intellect in the fight. My weapons of choice are accountability, prayer, persistent language of gratitude, intentional scheduling, and music.
For vigorous exercise, I prefer contemporary worship music. Some Catholics criticize the genre for manipulating emotions and feeding us on a diet of spiritual “candy,” rendering us less capable of entering into mature faith and stillness with God. Sure. We can make music an idol and misuse the tool, and some music is simply not beautiful or to our tastes. On the other hand…
Emotion was created by God for His holy purpose. Since, in my weakness, I’m susceptible to melancholy and inward focus, it is helpful to have someone on the outside speaking words of joy, truth, and life into my life…
GET UP.
RISE.
STEP FORWARD.
BY HIS POWER.
IN HIS NAME.
ALLELUIA!
Go ahead and grab me by the emotion. I’ll take responsibility from there. Call me out. Call me forward. Call me to pray and to give energy to my work. This is what we are to do for each other as Christians. Sometimes I do that in silence or with sacred music. Sometimes it helps to have the name of Jesus lifted up before me (with volume and energy) while I fight my battles.
My playlist is constantly changing as I find new music and rediscover old favorites. A sample of this week’s playlist is below. I’ve loosely organized links into Warm Up, HIIT/Strength Training, Cardio/Running, Cool Down, and Core/Stretching.
A few tips first:
Arrange your music in whatever way calls your body and mind into greatest union with your purpose (temporal and eternal).
If a song irritates you and makes you want to stop moving, get it off your list.
If another song makes you break down into tears in the middle of the gym, save it for another time.
I never recommend music that glorifies sin. There is no good to be found there for mind, soul, or body.
I’ve included a few lines of lyrics before the link to each song. Lyrics are of great consequence. We learn them quickly because they are housed in music… and they become part of our internal dialogue. Choose wisely.
Warm-up
I choose warm-up music that lightly (but energetically) introduces me to the idea that Yes, I do want to be here and lifts my mind and soul to God’s purpose for my life and my body.
Light glorious light, I will go where you shine
Break the dawn, crack the skies
Make the way bright before me
In your light, I will find all I need
All I need is You
Got a lot of bad days still coming our way
But it's sweet ever aftеr
Wind and waves breaking over our walls
But the ship, it don't shatter
God of mercy sweet love of mine
I have surrendered to Your design
May this offering stretch across the skies
And these Halleluiahs be multiplied
Like a rushing wind
Jesus breathe within
Lord have Your way
Lord have Your way in me
Like a mighty storm
Stir within my soul
Lord have Your way
Lord have Your way in me
HIIT / STRENGTH TRAINING
For exercise that requires bursts of energy, I prefer a stronger rhythm and a driving message of hope. That changes if I have an autoimmune flare that interferes with proper adrenal response. In that case, I have to do whatever I can (including eliminate or soften music) to get my nervous system to stop panicking. But on my many good days, a strong anthem is just what I need to push through…
God, I'm running for Your heart
I'm running for Your heart
Till I am a soul on fire
Lord, I'm longing for Your ways
I'm waiting for the day
When I am a soul on fire
Oh, fear is a liar with a smooth and velvet tongue
Fear is a tyrant
He's always telling me to run
Oh, love is a resurrection and love is a trumpet sound
Love is my weapon
I'm gonna take my giants down
What if I got new armor?
What if I swung my sword?
What if I face my demons
Like I've never done before?
What if I hung my banner?
What if I chose a side?
What if I knew I couldn't lose this time?
Do you see him? King of Heaven
Champion of all creation
Eyes of fire, voice of thunder
Tearing through the sky in wonder
Dressed in light, we see him coming
On a horse that's white like lightning
Do you see him?
Look what You've done, look what You've done in me
You spoke Your truth into the lies I let my heart believe
Look at me now, look how You made me new
The enemy did everything that he could do
Oh, but look what You've done
This is the sound of dry bones rattling
This is the praise, make a dead man walk again
Open the grave, I'm coming out
I'm gonna live, gonna live again
This is the sound of dry bones rattling
God of Jacob, Great I Am
King of angels, Son of Man
Voice of many waters, song of heaven's throne
Louder than the thunder, make Your glory known
CARDIO / RUNNING
Running is a little bit like labor and birth in that I need to stay steady and focused to avoid panicking…
If I don’t have music, I pray the rosary and offer it as an intercessory prayer along with my run. It is rhythmic and focused. If I choose music, the songs I prefer are light, energetic, and steady. Sometimes, I choose one song and loop it for the entire run to help me stay in level.
If you are looking for music to help with running cadence, this is a great website to check the BPM of your favorite songs: songbpm.com
Give me your heart, give me your song
Sing it with all your might
Come to the fountain
And you can be satisfied
There is a peace, there is a love
You can get lost inside
Come to the fountain
And let me hear you testify
You have called me higher
You have called me deeper
And I'll go where You will lead me Lord
You have called me higher
You have called me deeper
And I'll go where You lead me Lord
Hello Jesus, I hope You understand
My last departure was never planned
I came up empty with everyone and everywhere I been
Hello Jesus, I'm home again
I'm home again
I will carry you
Through your darkest night
When you're terrified
I will carry you
When the waters rise
When your hope runs dry
I will carry you
I love You, Lord
For You have delivered me
I love You, Lord
For You have delivered
My soul from death
My feet from stumbling
I will walk in the land of the living
From the river's mouth
To the mountain peak
Through the great divide and the valley deep
I need you to carry me
COOL DOWN
I don’t always do a proper cool down, but I do switch mental gears toward the end of my workout. My physical need to keep stress levels managed has helped me develop an intuitive sense of when to lower intensity. I usually end on a softer note and leave my workout feeling uplifted, hopeful, and calm.
All of my fears like Jericho walls
Gotta come down, come down
All of my fears like Jericho walls
Gotta come down, come down, oh Lord
my prison turns to ruin
When Your love moves in
All of my fears like Jericho walls
Gotta come down, come down, come down
In the crushing
In the pressing
You are making new wine
In the soil I now surrender
You are breaking new ground
So I throw up my hands
And praise You again and again
'Cause all that I have is a hallelujah
Hallelujah
And I know it's not much
But I've nothing else fit for a King
Except for a heart singing hallelujah
Hallelujah
I know I question, know I doubt
Don't always hear when you call out to me
Oh Adonai, have mercy on me
But if you're still up there looking down
There's only one thing left that I need now
Oh Adonai, have mercy on me
PRAYERFUL CORE / STRETCHING WORKOUTS
I do prayer-centered workouts multiple times most weeks, rooted in the rosary or scripture. The appropriate music for those times is sacred music like Gregorian chant or polyphony, instrumental, or soft worship. The goal is to calm the nervous system and orient all movement and thoughts to Christ. Music plays an important role here and the contemporary genre (or music with lyrics) is not always fitting. But I’ll leave you with a softened acoustic version of one of my favorite heavier anthems and the quiet contemplative Catholic music of a dear friend at Cassia & Myrrh…
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