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These videos will make you want to work out
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Exercise should be a get-to, not a have-to, but sometimes we all need a little kick to get going. Here are five videos guaranteed to make you want to lace up your shoes. - photo by Jennifer Graham
Exercise should be a get-to, not a have-to, but sometimes we all need a little kick to get going because of Newton's First Law of Motion: A body at rest will remain at rest unless an outside force acts on it.

There are all sorts of outside forces that can get us going, like a frowning doctor or a laughing scale, but an inspirational video is much more pleasurable. Here are five that will make you want to lace up your shoes and start moving.

She's 101, what's your excuse?

The Penn Relays is the longest-running track event in the U.S., dating to 1895. Ida Keeling isn't that old, but she just turned 101, and she's now the world record holder for the 100-plus age group in the 100-meter distance.

Keeling started running when she turned 67. Here's her record-setting performance at Penn. And the push-ups she did after she finished.

'You are not a marathon runner'

But you may be, after watching Nike's salute to the back of the pack. The song is "Every Little Bit Hurts" by Aretha Franklin. The runner is anybody who's ever been pounding the streets long after the winner has already eaten the bagel, accepted the trophy and showered.

You are also not a horse

But to watch Secretariat win the Belmont Stakes in 1973 is to marvel at God's creation operating in peak form, and to wonder if you, too, shouldn't get off the couch and start working to attain the height of your physical gifts.

The announcer says it was "a record that may stand forever," and 42 years later, it still holds.

But what you do in the dark ...

Under Armour's "Rule Yourself" series movingly reminds us that Patriots superstar Tom Brady was the 199th pick in the sixth round of the 2000 draft, but Michael Phelps gets more time to show how he earned 22 Olympic medals by grunting it out, lap after lap. You won't be the same after watching it, SwimSwam magazine promises.

Makes it count

Casey Neistat's quirky video for Nike had little to do with working out, but everything to do with why people do it. Watch him run around the world in 10 days sustained by street vendors and gnarly airplane food and you'll want to do it, too. Do more, indeed.
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Have You Seen This? Street musician slays with clarinet
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Better than almost every face-melting guitar or drum solo. - photo by Facebook video screenshot

THE BIG EASY — Yeah, yeah, we all know that New Orleans is stuffed to the gills will incredible musicians.

But knowing that fact and then hearing that fact are two different things. You can step into any number of jazz clubs on any given night on Bourbon Street, and you’ll probably be impressed with virtually every act. Or you can sit at home on your comfy couch and watch this featured video.

In the video, you’ll see a woman who is in the groove. She is swinging hard, and wailing on her clarinet with a practiced expertise that makes it sounds so easy.

From note one you’ll be drawn in; your appreciation will grow with every second, and then your face will melt off when you realize how incredible she really is.

If you’ve never played a woodwind or a brass, you may not know everything that comes with a performance like this. Lung capacity and breath control are huge factors in keeping your notes clear and loud, and hitting those high notes is especially difficult.

So when this woman hits that high note and holds it for several seconds, you know you’re dealing with an exceptional musician. It means she has worked hard for years to develop skill on top of her natural talent, and we get to benefit.

It kinda makes you wonder how we let people get away with mumble rap and autotune when talent like this exists in the world.

I wish this video were longer, and I wish I had more information about this woman, but as it is, we’ll just have to appreciate the little flavor of New Orleans jazz posted by the Facebook group Clarinet Life.

Street musician killing it on clarinet

She must have lungs of iron! Its inspiring hearing the upper registers being played so well.

Posted by Clarinet Life on Tuesday, December 11, 2018

Martha Ostergar is a writer who delights in the ridiculous that internet serves up, which means she's more than grateful that she gets to cruise the web for amazing videos to highlight for your viewing pleasure.
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