Rooaarr!

A good song can take you from supine on the couch to jumping up and shakin’ your thang the second you hear that upbeat tempo.

Music has the power to motivate, inspire, and even elevate your mood.  While watching the recent winter Olympic games, I couldn’t help but notice nearly every athlete wearing a pair of inconspicuous ear phones, nodding up and down while they warmed up, cooled down, or raced down the slopes.  I couldn’t help but wonder:

What are they listening to?

What pumps a champions up?  What tunes do top-notch performers listen to as they get ready for the biggest events of their lives?  What gives them the confidence to perform in front of thousands of people?  Probably the same songs that pump you and I up.  So I posed the question on the HowDoesShe Facebook page (where we have tons of fun and get a myriad of fascinating responses—you should join us!):

What songs pump you up, get you motivated to clean the bathrooms or sprint that last 100 yards?  You know… the songs you belt out in the car and don’t care who sees!

The responses were so fantastic (you can see them here) that we just had to put together some ultimate feel-good, get-up-and-go, “I am a champion” playlists that we just KNOW you’re going to love!

Work it out!

 “I love “Timber” right now, keeps me moving at the gym!” Danielle R.G.

And to make it super easy on you, you can download almost all these songs HERE!

1. “Timber”…by Pitbull
2. “Boom Boom Pow”…by the Black Eyed Peas
3. “Applause”…by Lady Gaga
4. “Smooth Criminal”…by Michael Jackson
5. “All Around the World”…by Paulina Rubio
6. “Back in Black”…by AC/DC
7. “Cowboy”…by Kid Rock
8. “Fergalicious”…by Fergie (*E)
9. “#thatPOWER”…by will.i.am
10. “Two Step”…by Dave Matthews Band
11. “Thrift Shop”…by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis (*E)
12. “Gold Digger”…by Kanye West (*E)
13. “Radioactive”…by Imagine Dragons

Get up and dance!

“I played [“Telephone” by Lady Gaga] to my baby when pregnant and he loves dancing now and he’s three!  Any beat and he’s up shaking it!”  Carolyn W.

1. “Happy”…by Pharrell Williams (from Despicable Me 2)
2. “Footloose”…by Kenny Loggins
3. “Gangnam Style”…by PSY
4. “Moves Like Jagger”…by Maroon 5
5. “I like to Move It”…by will.i.am (from Madagascar 2)
6. “Beat It”…by Michael Jackson
7. “The Fox (What Does The Fox Say?)”…by Ylvis
8. “Can’t Hold Us”…by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis
9. “Just Dance” or “Telephone”…by Lady Gaga
10. “What I Am”…will.i.am (from Sesame Street) *Find this one on YouTube–it is awesome!  I might love it even more than my kids!
11. “Hot n Cold”…by Katy Perry
12. “Y.M.C.A.”…by The Village People

DOWNLOAD MANY OF THESE HERE!

You go gurrl!

1. “Roar”…by Katy Perry
2. “Stronger”…by Kelly Clarkston
3. “Survivor”…by Destiny’s Child
4. “It’s Raining Men”…by The Weather Girls
5. “My Humps”…by The Black Eyed Peas
6. “Single Ladies”…by Beyonce
7. “Girls Just Want to Have Fun”…by Cyndi Lauper
8. “Man! I Feel Like a Woman”…by Shania Twain
9. “Trouble”…by Pink
10. “Hot Stuff”…by Donna Summer
11. “Bad Girls”…by M.I.A
12. “Just Fine”…by Mary J. Blige

Sing at the top of your lungs!

“My sister and I sing Queen’s “Don’t Stop Me Now’ at the top of our lungs every time it plays.”  Shradha S.

Download many of these songs here!

1. “Rolling in the Deep”…by Adele
2. “Royals”…by Lorde (also, try “Team” and “Tennis Court”)
3. “I Love Rock ‘N Roll”…by Joan Jett & The Blackhearts
4. “Bad Romance”…by Lady Gaga
5. “Some Nights” and “Carry On”…by Fun.
6. “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)”…by The Proclaimers
7. “Stay Or Leave”…by Dave Matthews
8. “Free Fallin'”…by Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
9. “Brown Eyed Girl”…Van Morrison
10. “The Remedy”…by Jason Mraz
11. “Party in the U.S.A”…by Miley Cyrus
12. “Man in the Mirror”…by Michael Jackson

Can’t help but smile!

“My daughter always runs in to dance to ‘Party in the U.S.A’ when it’s on.  We have a quick dance party, then I have the energy to finish cleaning.”  Shannon B.

1. “The Sound of Sunshine”…by Michael Franti & Spearhead
2. “I Gotta Feeling”…by The Black Eyed Peas
3. “Walking on Sunshine”…Katrina & The Waves
4. “Hey Jude,” “All You Need is Love,” or “I Want to Hold Your Hand”…by The Beatles
5. “Flowers in Your Hair” or “Ho Hey”…by The Lumineers
6. “The Joker”…by Steve Miller Band
7. “Be Ok”…by Ingrid Michaelson
8. “I Will Wait”…by Mumford & Sons
9. “”No Woman No Cry”…by Bob Marley
10. “Baby Got Back”…by Sir Mix-a-Lot (*E)
11. “Ice Ice Baby”…by Vanilla Ice
12. “Black or White”…by Michael Jackson

Oldies but oh-so-goodies!

1. “Eye of the Tiger”…by Survivor
2. “Another One Bites the Dust”…by Queen
3. “Sweet Child O’Mine”…by Guns N’ Roses
4. “Livin’ on a Prayer”…by Bon Jovi
5. “Have You Ever Seen the Rain”…by Creedence Clearwater Revival
6. “Bohemian Rhapsody”…by Queen
7. “Hangin’ Tough”…by New Kids on the Block
8. “We Will Rock You”…by Queen
9. “Tiny Dancer”…by Elton John
10. “Light My Fire”…by The Doors
11. “Old Time Rock N’ Roll”…by The Greasers
12. “Daydream Believer”…by The Monkees

*Titles marked with an (E) contain some explicit or adult lyrics.

 So whether you’re an Olympic athlete or a professional mama, these songs are perfect for a killer workout, when you’re elbow-deep in toilet cleaning, or an impromptu family dance party!

So what are you waiting for?  Get listening now! And you can find many of these songs (some even FREE) to download HERE.