LISTENING TO MUSIC WHILE RUNNING OR EXERCISING: PROS AND
CONS
We've noticed that this topic was recently among the "hot"
ones in magazines. Advice given was all "do it, it's
good for you". Don't we wish it were THAT simple.
An ultimatum like "don't do it" simply won't do
it, so let's lay everything out in the open and you decide
what it is you want and how much are you willing to pay to
get it. Yes, you read it right, there is no such thing as
a free breakfast, everything comes at a price.
There are elemental constants and there are passing trends.
While this is not exactly a passing trend (people have been
listening to music while doing something else since "who
knows" when), it’s obviously not the constant either.
It comes and goes, i.e. like fashion returns every 20-30 years
in full circle, so do things like exercising with music or
enjoying listening to nature and self. One day we're told
to turn up the volume and create the soundtrack of our lives,
the next day we learn that it's best to meditate and that
silence is golden. Read on, there is a way to find a balance
that suits your ambitions and feeds your soul.
PROS ARE:
MUSIC STIMULATES & MOTIVATES LIKE NOTHING ELSE.
Music has tremendous emotional and motivational power, it
can help you to keep going, even when you feel "out of
gas". Music can inspire you to do what you never thought
you could. Once you're more comfortable with your technique,
it is safe to go for pleasure jogs on a surface that's familiar
and in an area that you know.
MUSIC RELAXES YOUR MIND. Well actually music
can twist your mind whichever way you want it to. Play just
the right tune and you will cry or laugh, or remember your
childhood, or people you've forgotten. Music can transport
you into the past or the future, or to the faraway lands that
you always dreamed about.
IT ADDS FUN TO ROUTINES. Music can make
any routine to be fun. Just make sure there is no potential
danger in your selected routine because you will be distracted
and you will be having a great time. It could be a fun to
warm up or cool down before and after your intended runs.
CONS ARE:
MUSIC STIMULATES & MOTIVATES LIKE NOTHING ELSE.
True. It can also motivate you to keep running and running
regardless of your form and technique. The potential problem?
You will get injuries without noticing it. You will run miles
that you're not equipped to do, you will go over mountains
that you didn't intend to climb, etc. That's cool and exciting....
until you feel pain and realize you have an injury that you
didn't think you had.
MUSIC RELAXES YOUR MIND. It sounds like
this one belongs in the "pros' only. Truth is, it's not
what you want when you exercise or run, or walk for that matter.
You want to be alert to what's around you, what's under your
feet and what your body is doing. If you feel like you need
to free your mind from the daily clutter - listen to music
before you start your workout, your run, your walk. Or, here's
something that's not often considered - focusing on your technique
and how you move when exercising or running will take your
mind off the mundane and that will free your mind and you
will relax without realizing it or trying to do it. Relaxing
your mind during running, which is considered to be one of
the most dangerous athletic activities, due to the fact that
2 out of 3 runners are being injured on a regular basis, is
not a smart move and is hazardous to your health.
IT LOCKS YOU INTO A CERTAIN TEMPO and you
will be stuck running at that pace unless you turn the music
off or change the tune. And you're in even bigger trouble
if you chose songs that have different tempos. Even the slightest
difference in the tempo will throw you off and your entire
body will protest. Unlike the little "metronome like"
devices that help you keep the cadence and pace at a certain
level and are quiet enough that you can still hear everything
around you, headphones with music blasting take over and you're
locked. Not good.
IT'S SIMPLY NOT SAFE. You might have already
gathered from above that it is not exactly safe to listen
to music and let it distract you when running and exercising,
but it does need to be reiterated, emphasized, highlighted
and underlined. It is simply not smart to pretend that you
can make the whole world go away when you go out for a run.
The truck driver behind you doesn't know you can't hear him,
the cyclist sneaking up on you from left doesn't know that
either, the uneven surface beneath you presents less danger
to the runner ahead of you without the "earplugs",
and so on. Your reaction time is also way slower and the type
of reaction you produce when tuned out is nothing to brag
about. Your form falls apart quicker because you're distracted
and we all know where that's going - injuries. It is simply
not safe to run or exercise while listening to music. However,
it is fun to put on your training gear or take a shower after
training to a great tune.
YOU WON'T ACHIEVE ANY SERIOUS RESULTS. Other
than a potentially serious injury there are no serious results/improvements
that you should count on. Any elite or competitive athlete
will tell you how much focus it takes to train and then compete,
you will NEVER see any professional athletes doing any serious
training with headphones on. Why? Because they understand
the importance of keeping their focus and prefer to listen
to what their bodies are telling them. Every now and then,
some will jog with some music for a little bit, but never
do they constantly train with music. You will never hear any
music during races or boxing matches, only in between the
rounds maybe. Here's another example. Music is everything
to dancing, and one can't imagine a dancing competition or
performance without music. What only a few know is that during
the preparation for the said dancing event, dancers practice
first to simple counts of 1-2-3, 1-2-3, or 1 and 2 and, 1
and, 2 and.... music comes later, when the performer already
knows his/her part.
Lots of people love music and we don't want to take that away
from you, but unfortunately there are more cons to this than
pros. We don't sugar it up. But while we don't want to make
it completely distasteful, reality is that there are choices
you have to make and then deal with the consequences of your
choices. Hopefully our advice will help you to make more educated
decisions that will help you enjoy your athletic life even
more.
Article by Dr. Nicholas Romanov
Composed by L. Romanov
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