Keep Motivated

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Trying to keep myself motivated during Mobile Nations Fitness Month has been the hardest part of the process for me personally. Changing my diet wasn't quite as difficult as I thought, and while getting in better physical shape has been a bit of a challenge the hardest part is how to keep pushing myself to do better. When I first started off I was doing 15 to 20 minutes a day of activity and struggling through that, but once that started getting easier I knew it was time to make it more challenging on myself, but I lacked the full motivation to get that done.

Music is a huge part of my personal life on a daily basis, I listen to music when I wake up, when I drive to work, while working, before bed, and there is a different style of music for each part of the day. Once I started thinking about it I realized I should use my music addiction to my advantage and take my music with me on the go while I was working out and working towards getting into better shape. 

Keep the music flowing

Luckily there are quite a few options for listening to music on the go with your BlackBerry device, some of them are free and some of them subscription based. Having tried many of the available options like TuneIn Radio, Pandora and loading my personal music to my media card I realized that none of the options were ideal and after talking to some friends I decided to take the plunge and give Rdio a shot. 

Rdio
 

Rdio is a subscription based music service that has a monthly fee that gives you access to unlimited music from your mobile device as well as on your computer. Since my musical preference changes quite frequently, and I need to have a wide variety of music at my fingertips at all times I immediately feel in love with Rdio. Whether I want to listen to some fast paced hip hop music or some indie rock I am able to do so with a few simple clicks.

Rdio Playlist
 

Once you launch the application the first page you see will show you a couple different options for quick and easy access to some of the most popular music albums at the time as well as recently added albums. If these tunes aren't appealing to your desires at the time you can also search from the top right corner of the application. One of my favorite features is the ability to create playlists to listen to at a later time, because with this I can create workout mix, a morning mix, a mid-day pick me up mix and any other random lists I may want to make. In addition I can "follow" my friends and view their musical selections and grab bits and pieces from those as well if I wanted.

Rdio Search
 

With all the recent changes to carrier data plans not everyone can afford to stream music on the go, but Rdio allows you to take your playlists and sync them to your device for offline use as well. This will allow you to listen to the music without needing a data connection to stream the songs which is great. In addition Rdio gives you the option to set background syncing to only be available when a wifi connection is available so you won't eat up your montly data limits by syncing your music to your device.

Sure, not every single song you will want is going to be available, but there are a ton of songs, a whole slew of great features and quite a variety of music available at your disposal. The monthly fee is a must with the application, but if you want to keep motivated while out for a run, riding your bike, or lifting some weights this is a great option for you.

Cut the wires

Not everywhere you will be working out will it be ideal to listen to the music you enjoy through the speaker of your device and so it is likely you will need to add a pair of headphones to allow you to listen in various environments. With hundreds of different options available when it comes to headphones it can be quite difficult to figure out which is best for you, and which ones to purchase. While everyones preferences will vary there is one thing you will definitely want to consider -- go wireless.

Wireless Headphones
 

No one wants to be tangled up in the wire of their headphones as they are trying to lift weights, drink water while riding their bike, or while out for a run, right? Well, cut the wires and grab yourself a pair of bluetooth headphones. With bluetooth headphones you are able to put the device in a holster, on the floor, in your pocket or anywhere else you decide, and put the headphones on your head without the need for them to be connected in anyway. Whether you want in ear or over the ear there are quite a few options available in the ShopCrackBerry Store, and the great part is that say you happen to receive a phone call while working out that you need to take, you can do so with most pairs of the headphones. 

Keeping yourself motivated to continue with the workouts and pushing yourself to the next level is probably the hardest part of the entire process. As activities continue to get easier you will want to add a few extra minutes the next time, or push yourself to go faster or a bit further, and music can be a very powerful tool to help you continue on your path to success.

More information / download of Rdio
More information / purchase of Bluetooth Headsets

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