I Don’t Multitask Anymore During My Home Workouts (and You Shouldn’t Either)
I used to be a big proponent of distractions during workouts, especially cardio, which can be long and feel tedious. While I’ve recommended this approach several times, I’ve changed my mind after looking at my results and refining my goals. I’m not afraid to admit that the old approach didn’t work or that I was wrong. Here’s why I no longer try to distract myself during cardio, and why you should consider it, too.
Why I won’t be distracted by sports anymore
Multitasking doesn’t work . It really doesn’t: Whenever you try to do two things at once, you’re dividing the energy and brainpower that you could be devoting to both, essentially doing them half-heartedly instead of, forgive me, doing them full-on, one at a time. Sure, it’s tempting to look for distractions while you’re working out, especially if you’re running or doing other strenuous and/or challenging cardio. I used to be all about this, and even followed a system for years where I only allowed myself to watch my favorite TV show if I was also working out on the elliptical or treadmill. I reasoned that distracted exercise was better than no exercise, which was true, but I conveniently forgot to consider that, in general, focused exercise is best.
When Peloton announced that users would be able to watch YouTube videos while using the company’s branded exercise bikes, treadmills, and rowing machines, I was initially excited and immediately started doing so to break up the monotony of using a Peloton bike for virtual classes or playing the cardio game Lanebreak . But I quickly noticed that the time I spent pedaling and watching music videos on my device’s big screen didn’t feel as tiring or productive as time spent doing any other exercise bike workout.
Earlier this week , I downloaded a spreadsheet of all my Peloton workouts and looked at the data. It confirmed what I’d been saying: Working out while watching YouTube wasn’t nearly as effective as other activities and games. In one notable instance, I burned just 57 calories during a 17-minute YouTube-watching session. What was I even doing? It’s unclear; I don’t remember because I was engrossed in the music videos, but according to my data, I set the resistance knob to a paltry 32%. My average speed was just 17.8 mph. Other, shorter workouts in the data set show significantly higher calorie burn, output, resistance, cadence, speed, and distance. Essentially, when I allowed myself to get distracted, my brain decided that just a little effort would suffice. I automatically took the path of least resistance, literally.
My workout goals used to be just about getting moving and getting a little healthier. Those are totally fine and dandy goals, but mine have changed over the last year or so. Now I set specific goals for weight loss, muscle gain, and skill development, all with pretty strict deadlines. The distraction of cycling or running doesn’t help me achieve those goals at all, and if I did them often enough, it would seriously hold me back. Research confirms that distractions also negatively impact your performance during workouts, but there’s one exception: Listening to music can make you work harder and perform better. This aligns with my own experience, because when I have the right playlist , I kill it — and it’s reflected in my Apple Watch data, too.
When distraction training can be effective
If your goal is simply to motivate yourself to hit the treadmill or go for a walk more often, distraction workouts can be helpful, at least to help you get into a routine more easily. Research shows that a pleasant distraction can enhance the positive effects of exercise, such as on mood. So if you go to the gym to feel good, watching Law & Order or listening to a podcast while you run might not be the best idea.
But if you’re motivated by the feeling of actually working hard and enduring, rather than just the fact that you did anything at all, be careful. In addition to lowering your heart rate during cardio, distractions like TV can also negatively impact your perceived effort —which is exactly what happened to me when I noticed I felt a little sluggish after cycling with YouTube on. If you’re not training at a higher intensity, you may lose the motivation to keep going, not realizing that all you had to do was turn off Netflix and just focus on the run.