It used to be just the magazines. People would grab one, prop it on the treadmill, and get to “work”.
Now it’s worse: magazines, television, and (my biggest pet peeve) your phone. (I don’t think my phone has ever been to the gym.)
You’ve read all the articles about how multitasking is bad for your health, bad for your performance, even bad for your brain. Why do we think it’s okay at the gym?
All these distractions start from a good place. “It won’t be so boring if I can read Kim Kardashian gossip. I can study and still get my workout in. If I couldn’t watch House Hunters I wouldn’t even be here right now.”
I get it. But it’s got to stop.
You’re not working as hard.
If you can read or (an extension of my biggest pet peeve) talk to your friend on the phone, you’re missing out on your workout. You’ve got time crunches, you’re only at the gym for an hour: make the most of that hour.
You’re distracted from the task at hand.
Remember how my dad wouldn’t let me listen to music when I ran? I’m pretty sure he would frown upon all these gym distractions, too. Training is for your mind as well as your body, and I believe that’s true whether you’re a competitive marathon runner or someone who wants to lose 20 pounds. Let yourself go face-to-face with puffing lungs and tired legs instead trying to distract yourself from them.
You’re not doing either activity well.
If you’re reading, you’re not running as fast. If you’re tired, you’re not comprehending the material as well. Choose one activity and give it your full attention. Since you’re at the gym, maybe choose the fitness part and focus on that until you get home.
What do you do at the gym besides work out? Could you drop some of your distractions?