[CHIQUITITA]

By BOB CONDOR
SPECIAL TO THE POST-INTELLIGENCER

The list of citations for research about music and exercise is considerably shorter than the typical iPod playlist. Maybe a few dozen studies have been published since Jane Fonda first cranked up her boom box for a series of best-selling aerobics videos in the 1980s.

But those results are as definitive as the muscles that start popping after you start a weightlifting program.

"There is good data that music is an effective distraction from some of the less pleasant parts of exercise, such as shortness of breath or mild pain," said Charles Emery, an exercise scientist at Ohio State University. "It works for any level of exerciser."

For example, one Ohio State study tracked people who run to music compared with runners with no headphones. Runners with music evaluated themselves as feeling less tired and strained, using a standard scientific measurement called rate of perceived exertion. Those runners were capable of running longer and more intensely given all other training factors were equal.

Another positive for your iPod or personal CD player: Runners listening to music during their workouts released fewer stress-related hormones in the body. Their chemical reactions confirmed the feeling of less pain and stress.

A recent University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing study showed patients with serious lung disease using personal music players stay with a walking workout 20 percent longer than subjects who walked without tunes. That is no small difference for a patient group that derives highly positive benefits from any increased physical activity.

Emery raised an intriguing point as he sat in his office finishing up his school year. His summer vacation plans include a trip to Seattle and the San Juan Islands.

"Music may help organize the stimulus activity in your body that comes from exercise," he said. "It's theoretical (based on developing research) that exercise provides gross stimulus, such as increased blood flow. We think exercise fires up the neurotransmitters in the brain and your hormonal system. Music can organize the response to that stimulus."

Exercise scientists recommend music for warm-up segments of your workout. It is a natural booster for heart and breathing rates.

Len Kravitz, Ph.D., an exercise scientist at the University of New Mexico, said research suggests one possible application for fitness teachers.

"Play music that in many ways depicts the intensity of the upcoming workout as students enter the workout room," he said, explaining it helps students unconsciously calibrate their breathing and heart rates to the upcoming workout level.

In contrast, Kravitz suggests sedate music may discourage muscular potential. Better to save it for the cool-down.

Emery's research indicates music can benefit mood (obvious if you apply it to your own life) and cognitive performance (not so obvious).

So if you put exercise and music together, there appears to be an "additive benefit," said Emery.

Emery's 2004 study published in Heart & Lung, a medical journal, found listening to music during exercise helped cardiac rehabilitation patients increase scores on a post-workout verbal fluency test. It was the first study to look at the combined effects of music and short-term exercise on mental performance or brain power."

Emery and colleagues followed 33 patients in the final weeks of a cardiac rehab program. They were scored on emotional, mental and cognitive scales before and after two 30-minute treadmill sessions one week apart. The music used was Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons."

"The jury is still out whether the type of music matters, though there is some evidence that complex melodies are most positively stimulating, such as what's known as the Mozart effect," said Emery. "Vivaldi certainly fits in that category."

In all cases, the exercise boosted mood and post-workout verbal skills. Where the study grabs attention is on the verbal fluency or short-term cognitive scores. The numbers were twice as high for volunteers who listened to music during their treadmill session compared with the control group.

"Exercise seems to cause positive changes in the nervous system," said Emery. "Listening to music may influence cognitive function through different pathways in the brain."

Some exercise researchers are convinced certain rhythmic music can mimic syncopation of the body as you move. One well-noted study showed schoolchildren performed significantly better at throwing, catching, climbing, balancing and even dodging when physical education classes were accompanied by background music.

The study is four decades old but researchers still use it as an example of how music can set a tone for exercise or PE class. The 600 schoolchildren consistently performed better at all motor skills when music was playing. Exercise scientists speculate the music provided a relaxed, fun environment for kids rather than make it seem like a class or test.

Some researchers, coaches and fitness instructors have delved into matching the beat count in music to the rhythm of the sport or activity. Swimming is one sport that has been studied, and likely is one in which music may encourage exercisers to stay in the lap pool longer.

"There is no question music elevates your mood and allows for sustained activity," said Emery, who uses music or reading to provide his distraction during exercise. "We are finding it stimulates different areas of the brain (than exercise), specifically the frontal lobe that is important to verbal skills. But it is still up to the individual to decide what type of music works best."