Music is an essential part of many people’s workouts.

After doing some research, it turns out that a lot of experiments have shown that music increases performance while exercising.

The right music can improve your mood and make you forget about your heavy breathing and dripping sweat while increasing your endurance.

Some studies have shown that the genre of music doesn’t matter. It’s all about the beat.

I have come to detest using apps like Pandora when I run. I hate pressing next over and over again while I’m trying to run. And it just doesn’t do it for me when screamo music comes over my Rise Against station.

So I bought Cruise Control: Run for $4.99 on iTunes. The app makes a song playlist from your music library and chooses songs that go along with your workout speed.

This app won’t work properly if you don’t have a lot of music in your library. If you usually listen to music over the radio for your workouts, try out a running playlist like “180 BPM” through a music-generating website like Spotify.

Through the Cruise Control app, you can choose whether to link songs by your current speed, target pace, target heart rate or cadence. You can also make your own playlist, choosing songs by their beats per minute.

So, if you want to be faster, happier and more energized during your workout, listen to upbeat music. I promise it will make a difference!

Risa Johnson can be reached at [email protected] or @risapisa on Twitter.