How is it distracting you?
If you went inside a gym right now, would you notice a lot of people on their phones? I am sure you would because it is one of the most not-talked-about topics related to the gym that can disrupt your workouts.
When you go to the gym with your phone, you obviously have it there for many reasons. You need it so you can contact anyone or receive important calls/messages whenever. But you also probably use your phone as a boredom disruptor.
In between your workout sets, your first instinct is probably to go on your phone, check your socials, doom scroll, or switch between a thousand songs on your playlist. This can really distract from your workouts because you might be resting between a set for three minutes, but the next seven minutes go by without you even realizing it. This can delay your results in the gym because you’re not resting properly.
You might lose motivation to finish the exercise you were doing due to distraction, or you could be taking up other people’s time on the gym equipment or machines while wasting time on your phone.
What about the awkwardness?
If you go to the gym solo, which is very common, it is most likely that you will feel awkward without using your phone in between sets or when you are waiting for some equipment. This is because what are you actually going to do during that short amount of time, instead of wasting it on your phone?
First, take time to rest. Actually count how long you have in between or use a timer that will go off before your next test.
Second, you can observe the gym or watch the TVs in the gym to keep yourself somewhat entertained.
Another great option is going to the gym with a friend or a few friends. This provides peer interaction and helps distract you from needing to check your phone.
A recent study had 32 students participate in 30 minutes of exercise on the treadmill. One group was able to respond to any of their texts, and the other group was not allowed to text. The result was that the intensity of the texters’ workout was way lower compared to the non-texters group. These results are very shocking, considering the knowledge we have about cell phones’ impacts in the gym.
So, next time you head to the gym, try not using your phone. You may be surprised by your results.
