RAISE IQ, TRIM THIGHS, TO THE BEAT
You know that exercising to music is great for stronger hearts and harder bodies -- but did you know it boosts brainpower, too? Ohio State University Researchers found those who tuned in and toned up scored higher on post-exercise verbal fluency tests than those who worked out without music. Study author Charles Emery monitored 33 men and women participating in a cardiac rehabilitation program to see whether working out to music had a therapeutic effect. Both the music/exercise group and the no music/exercise group reported feeling better emotionally, post-workout -- but those who exercised to music doubled their scores on verbal fluency tests (the control groups scores remained flat). "The combination of music and exercise may stimulate and increase cognitive arousal while helping to organize cognitive output," said Emery, who used Vivaldis "The Four Seasons" for the experiment, citing the symphonys moderate tempo and positive effects in previous research. Will Zeppelin or 70s compilations work just as well? I sure hope so! Though Emery is more conservative: "Given the range of music preferences among patients, its especially important to evaluate the influence of other types of music on cognitive outcomes." Given the complexity of that sentence structure, maybe Id better switch to classical