Stayin’ Alive can really keep your alive

Remember the post on 102 Great Running Songs For A Fun And Fast Paced Workout? That piece really was quite popular and got so many comments.

On a similar note, I would like to highlight this seemingly useful song, be it for working out on the dance floor or the gym, jogging, just plain walking, and – take note – cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)! Well, maybe not for very fast-paced work out but nevertheless effective and fun.

If you have been around during the 70s, you would be familiar with disco beats. Yes, that was before hip hop, techno and rap. Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive” is supposedly the most played disco song. However, the BeeGees (Maurice, Robin and Barry Gibb) were clearly the disco kings, with their work on the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack as among the best. And one of their songs stand out which has become a real favorite for disco lovers – “Stayin’ Alive.”

But take note that “Stayin’ Alive” seems to be more just than a disco classic – it is a health aid!

Stayin’ Alive on your pedometer

Take for example the research of Simon Marshall of San Diego State University. He found that 100 steps a minute is the best rate on a treadmill, based on heart rate and oxygen consumption.

Marshall’s study data

“…support a general recommendation of walking at more than 100 steps per minute on level terrain to meet the minimum of the moderate-intensity guideline. Because health benefits can be achieved with bouts of exercise lasting at least 10 minutes, a useful starting point is to try and accumulate 1000 steps in 10 minutes, before building up to 3000 steps in 30 minutes. Individuals can monitor their progress using a simple pedometer and a wristwatch. The use of a single and simple pedometer-based guideline that is easy both to remember and measure may be more effective in a health communication strategy than the promotion of multiple guidelines and, therefore, messages.”

What if you don’t have a pedometer or treadmill? Well, “Stayin’ Alive” has just the right intensity with its disco tempo of 103 beats a minute. According to the researcher (who admits to be a disco fan)

“The tempo of it such that – as most disco music from the ’70s – the beat is fairly consistent throughout the whole song, and most people find it hard to sit still to.”

Therefore, “Stayin’ Alive” is an ideal addition to your work out music collection.

Stayin’ Alive with CPR

But wait. That’s not all there is to this disco beat. Because of the intensity and regularity of its tempo, “Stayin’ Alive” is also the ideal beat to time CPR moves. According to WebMD, “Stayin Alive” has a beat that’s in sync with the recommended pace for chest compressions given during CPR.” Even the American Heart Association recommends it for its Hands-Only CPR campaign. And well, let’s face it, it’s a tune that stays on your head and can therefore remember it in cases of emergency. And the title is simply fitting be it for exercise or CPR, don’t you think?

“…Somebody help me … Stayin’ Alive…”

www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCAjmuA1HDk