A question: does Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy,” which is the fourth movement of his Symphony #9, qualify as an oldie? Well, he wrote it between 1823 and 1824. Old enough for you?
So what does this have to do with exercise? Okay, as a gentleman (ha!) of, ahem, advancing years I work hard to keep myself in some semblance of shape. Mostly, I take long walks around my Ocean Hills neighborhood. (Emphasis on hills.) You can pretty much do that year ’round in Southern California.
But on those rare days when it’s too cold (anything under 50°), or rainy (we’ve had about 4” in the last seven months), or I just don’t feel like going outside, I’ll hop on the exercise bike and pedal my little lungs out.
Now, I’m sure you will agree that working on an exercise bike can be pretty boring. And that’s where “Ode to Joy” comes in. This stirring movement, about 25 minutes in length, is my go-to piece of music, and that time just flies by. It is also a great motivator to get ready for the day.
But since my workouts run longer than 25 minutes, I might listen to it twice. Or I might supplement it with old Ludwig’s “Choral Fantasy,” another rousing piece. Yes, music makes exercise a lot less difficult.
But it’s not all about Beethoven. “Gershwin’s Greatest Hits” can get me through a session. .So can Carl Orff’s “Carmina Burana.” Or a bunch of Dvorak’s “Slavonic Dances.”
It’s also not all about classical music. Some days it’s the world music of Loreena McKennitt, or Enya, or Cusco. And recently I even pumped the pedals to the soundtrack from “The Fellowship of the Ring.” Yeah, Frodo rocks!
Music and exercise. As an old song once advised us, “You can’t have one without the other.”