These songs are a complete departure from my earlier style. They have a specific purpose: to provide an instrumental soundtrack for your workouts. Listening to music during exercise increases endurance by 15%. It helps you feel more positive during exercise and decreases feelings of fatigue. Studies have shown that adding music to your workout decreases symptoms of depression and can actually boost your brain power. Exercising with music increases efficiency--you can do more work with less oxygen. It improves your workout by increasing muscle tension. You can exercise with greater focus and achieve more in less time. The most interesting thing? Our bodies seem to respond to the music well before our brain becomes conscious of it. We are wired to move to the music. The No Excuses Instrumental Workout Mix is 10 songs performed at 130 beats per minute. This rate is excellent for walking, cycling and aerobic activity. Your heart rate tends to match the tempo of any music you listen to. This tempo provides a good middle ground weight that will put most people into either the fat-burning or cardio stage (depending on your age and weight). All of the songs have a strong kick on the beat to provide you with plenty of incentive to synchronize with the music. This tends to give all of the songs a dance feel. However, two of the tracks--Rev It Up and Beat the Bulge--have a definite rock flavor. Love Your Body comes across with a smooth Quincy Jones-type jazz feel. You Can Do It has a light pop style. The final track--Determined to Win--provides an inspiring finish to the album with a dramatic, cinematic style.