Lots of people feel like they can’t be without their phones, even when they’re exercising. Some claim the phone is essential for tracking progress or to listen to music for workout inspiration, but according to fitness expert Bree-Anna Burick, your phone may actually be ruining your sweat session.
This is why you may want to leave your phone in your bag at the gym:
- Impaired balance and stability - Running on the treadmill or lifting requires a good amount of balance and stability, and without it, you could stumble or hurt yourself. Focusing on your phone can slow down your overall reaction time and studies suggest that texting or talking on the phone while exercising can make your posture more unstable, which can decrease your balance and stability by up to 45%.
- Lower intensity workouts - While there’s nothing wrong with low-intensity workouts, being on the phone too much can make it tough to maintain focus while exercising. Texting while resting during your HIIT workout can quickly take it from high-intensity interval training to a regular session.
- Impacted movement - Even if you’re not holding your phone in your hand, hearing the sound of the ping of a text message or seeing a notification light up your screen can be distracting. And while you may think of these distractions as seemingly harmless, when you’re in the zone of a workout, they can reduce your movement and range of motion, which makes your workout less efficient overall.
But on the flip side, aside from being a distraction, there are also some benefits to having your phone handy at the gym:
- Recording videos of yourself - If you want to check your form by recording yourself working out, just make sure you ignore it after checking the camera angle.
- Health tracker - If you use an app to track your steps and calories burned, having your phone there can act as a motivator to get moving and stay on task.
- Music to motivate - Having the right playlist can motivate and inspire you to push yourself during your workout, not to mention make it a lot more fun. Just don’t let it distract your focus from the reason you’re at the gym in the first place.
Source: Nine.com
Scott's Thoughts:
- It’s hard enough to manage the treadmill when you’re focused, much less while on Instagram! I almost fall when I mess with my phone.
- I do keep it in the cup holder for my music. I tried keeping it in the locker but my bluetooth earbuds were too far away.
- I have seen people facetiming on their phone while working out. That's kind of annoying IMO.