Location, location, location. When it comes to running, I am a location snob. The result, however, is a beautiful background to all of my runs. Most cities have gorgeous parks or running trails. My favorite spot is the large park in my neighborhood. It has a running path that circles a mossy oak-lined bayou, and that leads to the Mississippi River. My run is always pleasant, as the path is paved and clearly divides runners and bikers. Pick a great, but close, location for your run, and it will be much more enjoyable.

Run, even when you do not want to. It is extremely easy to make up excuses not to go for your run. Of course, homework comes first, but you must make sure not to let friends or food get in the way of your exercise routine. Skip one day, and the routine falls apart. Believe me, this is easy to do, especially when your schedule becomes busier.

Routine. Incorporate your runs into your schedule. Find the time that works best for you, maybe three times a week to start, and then literally pencil it into your planner. This not only improves time management skills, it keeps an open block of time to dedicate to your run. After only a few weeks, you will have built up your strength and lung capacity to where you can take even longer runs, if time allows.

Music. Although it is imperative to stay aware of your surroundings, listening to your music while running is a must. Make a playlist of your favorite tunes for when you hit the trails. The playlist is very important, as the songs you choose can set your mood, speed, and even confidence level. High-energy songs are fine, but just be sure to find a group of songs that will sustain your energy, and keep you motivated and happy.

Stress Relief. If you’re going through a breakup, run. If you’re stressed about a test, but cannot study a single page more, run. If you’re homesick, run. Running is one of the best stress relievers. It is possible to run your stresses away. Pretend your stresses are under your feet, and you are stomping on them as you run. Or it also works for me to think about a situation that makes you livid and stressed, and push your body to run faster. After the run, and a cold shower, you will again feel ready to take on the world

Though there are no hard facts for the cause behind the rise in death toll, I do have a pretty logical guess: headphones. Headphones typically make people completely unaware of their surroundings. Yes, they can still see what is going on, but seeing is not everything, and we all know that. Also, you may think that you see everything, but music tends to zone people out as well, and you do not truly know what is around you at all points in time. Without having the ability to hear everything, the chance of being hit by an automobile greatly increases. Not only that, but your chance of being hit by anything in general goes up. This includes bikers, other people, the tram, and more.

With your headphones in, you tend to tune out the noise. Music in your ears is dangerous, because you might not be able to hear an oncoming car or a vicious attacker. Music will flood your brain with thoughts, and you will not be 100% alert when you have your ear buds in. Yes, something that simple can be a really serious issue.

I never run with both of my head phones in.  I typically do not even use head phones.  I like having the ability to hear the people around me, and to hear that a biker is going to be on my left.

There have been plenty of studies showing how distracting technology can be. In fact, in some places like New York, they are even trying pass a bill that would prohibit the use of any kind of electronic device while crossing the street. Actually, in Oregon and Virginia, bikers can be charged up to $90 in fees  for riding under the influence of technology. That is correct, it is not a DUI, but it is similar to one.

It is always safer to have the ability to be constantly aware of your surroundings. It keeps you safe, and that is what we care about the most.

While Zumba is still the rage in many places, SH’BAM is starting to make its moves in fitness as well. SH’BAM is a lot like Zumba in the sense that you dance as exercise. It keeps you moving and sweating, but it also gives you some moves to use on the dance floor.

The major difference between Zumba and SH’BAM is that Zumba uses  a combination of salsa, merengue, cumbia, reggaeton, and current top songs; SH’BAM is all about the hottest hits. Pop, hip-hop, rap, you name it — SH’BAM will get you moving to the top hits of yesterday and today.

A SH’BAM class is usually only 45 minutes long. It’s pretty intense, and you don’t stop moving. There will be numbers that will allow you to  calm down and recover from the high-intensity numbers, but know that you will constantly move. A class is made up of 12 dance numbers, and each number has its own choreography. The first ten minutes are spent warming up, then you go through the series of work-out/recovery songs. Finally, you’ll be lead through a cool-down.

Every muscle will work while you are participating in SH’BAM! You can burn about 500 calories in one class without even realizing how much “work” your body is actually doing. This way of exercising is great way to get your body into shape. Not only that, but you can even transfer what you learned in class to the dance floor.

Zumba allows you do to that too, but only to a degree. Having taken both classes before, I think that SH’BAM is more “useful” in terms of the dance floor, but I like Zumba better. I feel like there is more technique and history around Zumba than its new rival, which often feels like hip-hop sans proper training; however, it is certainly starting to become all the rage just like Zumba did a few years ago.

“But what music do you listen to when you walk?” That was the question we posed over at Idea Offer to see what people listen to as they burn calories and take in the great outdoors.

The winning response was from Amy Rae:

Because I have a dog, sometimes walking is the easiest way to get exercise. My favorite music to listen to when doing any kind of exercise is “Girltalk” because it’s some of the most fabulous mash-ups of great upbeat music.

Amy Rae combined music, walking, and exercising her dog to create a powerful combination for her cardio workout.  What music do you listen to while you are strolling?

Click here to view the embedded video.

Beside being free, podcasts have the nice feeling of freshness that a lot of workout mixes lack. I often get distracted from my workout when I hear “that song” again; I just need to switch it before I can focus. The beauty of podcasts is you always have a new one, and don’t need to worry about becoming bored with the same old playlist.

Dance or electronica is usually the best choice for a high-intensity workout. With the Beats Per Minute up in the 130-160 range, you’ll be moving quickly the whole way through. I’ve been able to find many great, extended-mix workout tracks through podcast sources, like iTunes or PodCast.net.

If you’re into running or intense aerobics, you should look for PodRunner on iTunes. Each mix is roughly an hour long and is created for varying intensity levels based on BPM. PodRunner’s DJ Steve recently released PodIntervals, another set of mixes designed for aerobic interval training. If you want to work out to some high-spirited songs, look to Radio 538′s Tiesto podcast. With an hour to an hour and a half of high energy, low intensity house music, it will keep you smiling while you move.

Whatever podcast you pick for the gym, listen to an episode or two at home before you bring it with you. Is it something you can listen to for an hour? Will it keep you excited and help you get in your best workout? If it doesn’t make you want to get up and jump around at home, don’t take it to the gym. After all, it doesn’t matter if it’s dance, R&B or classical, as long as it will keep you motivated and moving.