Music corner

Today, Elvis Presley turns 75 years old. To me, Elvis’ music doesn’t “mean” a whole lot, it’s just good fun music to listen to, but to my mom and a whole generation of people it has tremendous meaning. So given that we are focused on music, I wanted to take today to reflect on some of the best workout music that Elvis made.

His voice defined a generation and now it can be the soundtrack to your New Year’s resolution success. Add these five Elvis classics to your workout playlist and you’ll be swivlin’ your hips in no time. (Listed in no particular order)

1.) Elvis vs. JXL – A Little Less Conversation (remix): Ok, ok, I know it’s a remix and a song that was released just a few years ago, but c’mon, you can’t have an Elvis workout playlist without this song. This song could wake me up out of a dead sleep and get me dancing. In fact, it made my BLIP this morning.

2.) Elvis Presley – Jailhouse Rock: Sure it’s a little start/stop for a workout, but there’s no denying that it will get you pumped up. So turn it up when you’re lifting weights or doing crunches and you’ll forget the pain and just start dancing, just be careful not to drop the weights on your toe…that would hurt.

3.) Elvis Presley – Don’t Be Cruel: This might be good for your light workout. Maybe you have a day where you turn it down a bit to give your muscles a rest or your just starting out. It’s mellow enough, but has a good tempo to it that will keep you moving at a good pace.

4.) Elvis Presley – Viva Las Vegas: Nothing says Elvis like Las Vegas and nothing says take me away from this nasty cold weather like Las Vegas. When celebrating Elvis’ birthday why not let him transport you to someplace warm in the midst of a bitter cold couple of days? This song will keep you moving and get you thinking about the Vegas strip so if for just 2min. and 30 seconds you are transported before you are snapped back into reality when you toss on your winter coat and head out for another day of winter.

5.) Elvis Presley – Burning Love:I almost forgot about this song, but I love it so much that I will be listening to it all day. I might just put this one on repeat for my workout this afternoon. Elvis really did revolutionize music and while it’s hard to grasp that concept given all the “pop-rock” music that is out these days (all of which is somehow influenced by the King) he really did have a tremendous impact on music. This is another great example of his influence on the music industry.

Happy Birthday to the King of Rock N Roll. Thanks for getting us moving with these great classics. Add these five songs to your workout playlist this week in honor of the king and I promise you’ll be transported. Transported to your childhood…maybe to Vegas…maybe you’ll even discover a song or two that you didn’t know existed.