Jeff Leow, a medical student from Austrailia, has a great post on a couple of medical studies that looked into the link between music and motivation to exercise. It includes a short description and diagram of the brain, as well as some videos to keep you entertained.
Highlights include:
* Associations that are unrelated to sport or physical activity may also prove motivating. For example, the theme to a popular television adventure series may promote the desire to engage in physical activity. Moreover, lyrics that are related to determination and strength may also conceivably enhance motivation to exercise more intensely and/or for longer.
* Positive experiences and mindsets yielded positive feelings and a subsequent desire to repeat the behaviour. (Godin, 1994) Therefore, it is important that participation in exercise sessions is a positive experience for individuals (Godin, 1994).
That last one seems kinda "duh" to me, but I think it means "if music makes exercise a positive exerpience, then listen to music when you exercise".
