Distracted Exercise: The Great Debate – Part 1

More than one Mcycle student has said that being distracted during exercise sessions makes things easier. People working out at home might watch TV or put on some music to keep their minds occupied while they move and sweat. But is this a good idea? Is it safe?

In recent years, experts have been debating distracted exercise. The debate is often framed by other activities that can be dangerous when distracted. Something like driving while using your cell phone is a frequently cited example. Yet distracted driving and distracted exercise don't seem to be in the same league.

In this two-part blog post series, we want to take a look at both sides of the debate. We will start with the positives. There are very valid reasons for being distracted during your workouts. For the record, the music during our indoor cycling classes is not meant to distract. It is meant to motivate.

Positive #1: Give Your Mind Something to Do

You might be the kind of person who absolutely hates exercise. It doesn't matter whether you are talking a spinning class, running on the treadmill, or making several laps around the neighborhood. You despise it. For you, distraction is a way to give your mind something other than exercise to think about.

This isn't a bad strategy. Let's say you are spinning at home, on your own bike. Watching the display tick away the seconds until your 30-minute ride is complete can make it seem like you're on the bike for eternity. The mental torture could be enough to eventually get you to quit. But distract your mind with a TV show or some good music, and you stop watching the time. You can actually get in the groove.

Positive #2: Your Distraction Is Another Person

Distracted exercise doesn't have to be the result of watching TV or listening to music. You can be distracted because another person is in the room. This is positive in the sense that you and that other person regularly to your workouts together. You hold one another accountable. You motivate one another. This is a good kind of distraction.

Positive #3: Your Workouts Are Physical and Cognitive

Believe it or not, some people combine physical and cognitive activity together in an exercise routine. They might ride an indoor bike while solving mental puzzles appearing on a TV screen. This sort of thing is catching on among older people looking to keep their cognitive skills sharp along with staying in shape.

This sort of distraction might not even be a true distraction at all. Working the body and mind simultaneously can make some unknown connections that aren't made when the activities are separate. In fact, limited research does suggest that combining physical and cognitive exercise can help with conditions like Parkinson's disease.

Positive #4: Your Time Is Limited

Finally, you may decide to multitask during your exercise routine because your time is limited. While we do not recommend this, we understand that answering your emails while you ride your stationary bike is better than allowing time spent in the office to prevent you from exercising at all.

We understand that some people feel they do better exercising when they are distracted. Again, we utilize music in our indoor cycling classes to motivate rather than distract. But if that helps you take your mind off of the exercise and get in the groove, we're okay with that too.

Be sure to check out part two of this blog series. In the next post, we'll talk about the negatives of distracted exercise.