This woman isn't peddling very fast...put some H2O Audio headphones on her and she'd be much quicker!

There’s not a ton of scientific data about why music motivates human beings, but it has been proven, across cultural boundaries that “our bodies, are made to be moved by music and move to it.”

In a recent study, two groups of cyclists were given the same music, one group had the music tempo lowered, the other had the tempo almost imperceptibly sped up.  The later group all peddled faster and had a higher heart rate as a result.

The specific biological reasons why studies seem to keep returning these same results is not clear, but one thing is for certain, music helps with training.  That’s why we think it’s so important that all athletes, in and out of the water have access to their own motivating soundtrack to perform their best and enjoy their workout more.

You can read more on the effects of music on exercise in the New York Times Health section.

H2O Audio Ambassador Triathlete, Laura Bennett

After years of training, sometimes it’s good to take a step back and evaluate your workouts.  But, if you’re not able to compete on a regular basis, how do you decide if what you’re doing is working?

One way is to measure your athletic ability.  There are a few common ways to find out how your fitness level measures up against others, and some don’t even require any equipment.

Another hot topic in the workout world right now is stretching.  Most of the time articles tout the benefits of stretching and yoga, however some do wonder if stretching is doing any good?  Read for yourself and see what you think.

Dana Vollmer, Rebecca Soni, Jessica Hardy, and Natalie Coughlin, from left, pose after winning the women's 4x100-meter medley relay final at the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships

It was another HUGE weekend for H2O Audio swimmers!

The Pan Pacific Championships brought the best swimmers from Australia, Japan, Canada, the US and more to Irvine, California to compete.  Both Natalie Coughlin and Michael Phelps turned in amazing swims with Natalie taking first in the 100 back and 100 free, while sharing first place finishes with fellow Team USA swimmers in the 100 free relay and 100 medley relay.  Michael Phelps took his usual first place spot in the 100 and 200 fly, and also shared victory with his Team USA counterparts in the 100 and 200 free relays and the 100 medley relay.  So, a very successful event for Team H2O Audio swimmers!  You can find full results and coverage of the meet here.

Also this past weekend, Team H2O Audio triathletes Greg and Laura Bennett continue their month of competing in Europe with the Lausanne ITU Elite Sprint Triathlon World Championships. The Bennetts were not expecting this to be one of their bigger races this season and Greg was happy with his 25th place finish.  While Laura woke up on competition day not feeling well and much to her disappointment, had to skip the race.

Slater Trout, paddling his way towards a 2nd place finish at the SEA NY event.

It’s another big week for the swimming world!  The Pan Pacific Swim meet starts tomorrow and runs through the weekend.  Both Michael Phelps and Natalie Coughlin are representing the US and are using this meet and an important step in training for the 2012 Olympics.  Portions of the meet will be televised on Universal Sports if you want to cheer on Natalie and Michael from your living room.

H2O Audio Triathletes, Greg and Laura Bennett kicked off a month of racing in Europe with the ITU Kitzbuehel race this past weekend.  Laura turned in a very strong performance finishing 8th while Greg finished 25th, not bad for his first race post illness.  We’re always so proud of our favorite triathlete couple!

And finally, H2O Audio paddler Slater Trout finished the 28 mile paddle around Manhattan last weekend in 2nd place.  High winds, crazy tides and boat traffic were just a few obstacles in the S.E.A Paddle NYC fund raising race for Autism.  Always the competitor, Slater blames his second place finish on a “tactical error”.  You can read more about the race in his blog.  Over-all more than $260,000 was raised for Autism through this event.

Just launched, now there’s two ways we can reward you for letting others know about the waterproof goodness that is H2O Audio!

We love our customers so much.  Just like us, you have that intrinsic need to take music with you absolutely everywhere.  Sure, some people may think we’re crazy for diving into the pool with our ipod, but that’s probably because they haven’t found the joy of a swim workout paired with a perfectly paced playlist.

So if you’re a blogger, personal trainer, swim club or other owner of an aquatic or athletics focused website, you can join our affiliate program.  Post a banner, earn commissions.  It’s that simple.

For everyone else, all you need to do is refer-a-friend!  Bring someone new into the H2O Audio family, hook them up with a $10 off coupon, and earn Splash Cash.  For each new person you introduce to H2O Audio, you earn $5 in Splash Cash and work your way towards free H2O Audio gear!