FEATURES

Don't Text & Train...

Tuesday, 18 April 2017 23:10

By Bethany Mavis (triathlete.com)

Talking or texting on a cell phone while you exercise will lower your workout intensity and alter your balance. That’s the latest info from researchers at Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania who’ve released two studies looking into the effects of texting, listening to music and talking on exercise. In their latest study, published in December, the researchers examined 45 college students’ cell phone use during postural stability...

tests. They found texting can impact stability by 45 percent when compared to no cell phone use, possibly predisposing texters to falls and injuries during workouts; talking while exercising reduces stability by 19 percent. Listening to music on a cell phone, however, shouldn’t mess up your balance—but it can make you work out harder, increasing the intensity of both speed and heart rate during exercise. That’s what the team found during a 2015 study in which subjects talked, texted and listened to music on their cell phones during a 30-minute treadmill run. They also found that texting and talking reduced the intensity of the workout. Lesson learned? During your next treadmill run, set your phone to airplane mode and crank the tunes

Check out other great stories on Triathlete.com.