With all those Christmas cookies around, it might be a good idea to get your heart pumping this holiday season.
The average American gains a pound or two between Thanksgiving and New Year’s — and while that may not sound like much, research shows the weight often lingers and adds up over time.
But there’s no need to wait until January to get moving. Experts have identified the top Christmas songs with a “scientifically optimal” beat for exercise, making workouts more festive, fun and motivating.
“The holiday season is when consistency becomes most challenging. Between family gatherings, travel, and end-of-year stress, staying on track with health goals can feel impossible,” Adam Gilbert, founder and CEO of MyBodyTutor, a personalized online weight loss and health coaching program, said in a statement.
“Music is one of those small things that can make a real difference. The right playlist makes exercise more enjoyable, and research shows it can improve performance and reduce perceived effort,” he added.
A 2024 study found that moderate-intensity exercise to songs with a tempo between 120 and 140 beats per minute (BPM) improved mood and made cardio more enjoyable.
A 2019 study, meanwhile, showed that high-tempo music with a BPM of 130 or higher during intense cycling helped participants exercise 10.7% longer with higher heart rates.
Drawing on this and other research, MyBodyTutor analyzed Spotify’s 500 most popular holiday songs and identified the top 10 Christmas tracks in the 120 to 150 BPM range, considered the optimal “sweet spot” for moderate- to high-intensity workouts such as cardio, running and strength training.
Topping the list as the best overall holiday workout song was Mariah Carey’s iconic “All I Want for Christmas Is You” at 150 BPM, cementing her status as the “Queen of Christmas.”
Classic hits like José Feliciano’s “Feliz Navidad,” Frank Sinatra’s “Jingle Bells” and Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” followed closely at 149, 148 and 146 BPM, respectively.
Michael Bublé’s jazzy version of “Jingle Bells” came in fifth, while August Burns Red’s “Christmas Time Is Here” ranked sixth at 143 BPM.
Nat King Cole’s “The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas to You)” hit seventh at 141 BPM, followed by Bruce Springsteen’s “Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town” and Bing Crosby’s “White Christmas” at 141 and 138 BPM, respectively.
Rounding out the top 10 was Justin Bieber’s “Mistletoe” at 128 BPM.
While these were the best overall Christmas songs for working out, MyBodyTutor went a step further and ranked tracks by exercise type.
For those aiming for a more intense session, Ariana Grande’s “Last Christmas” and Shakin’ Stevens’s “Merry Christmas Everyone” lead the list for high-intensity interval training, clocking in at 206 and 203 BPM, respectively.
Andy Williams’ “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” came in third, while Bing Crosby and The Andrews Sisters’ “Mele Kalikimaka” and Grande’s “Santa Tell Me” followed at 203 and 192 BPM.
For lighter exercise like yoga or a cool-down session, MyBodyTutor found that slow holiday ballads are the way to go.
Leading this category is Kelly Clarkson’s “Underneath the Tree” at 95 BPM, followed by Nat King Cole’s “The Christmas Song” at 88 BPM.
Pentatonix’s “O Holy Night” and “The First Noel” came in third and fourth at 85 and 84 BPM, and Sinatra’s “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” rounded out the list at 76 BPM.
“During a season when motivation is already stretched thin, anything that makes healthy habits easier is worth using,” Gilbert said.
“If a well-timed Christmas playlist helps you get that workout in, that’s a win.”
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