Smartphones not so great for exercise

Tons of people take their smartphones with them on their runs, but it may not be paying off.

Recent research at Kent State University has found that if you’re using your phone while running for anything other than listening to music, it may not be helping you with much.

Forty-four subjects were put on treadmills for four 30-minute walks: once without a smartphone, once where it was used to listen to music, once while they talked on the phone and once while they used it for text messaging. They had their speed and heart rate tracked and told researchers how much they enjoyed the exercise.

Walking while listening to music seemed the best option: on average, the subjects saw higher speeds and heart rates while listening to music and noted they enjoyed the exercise more, compared to the control of no phone use. Talking on the phone increased enjoyment but slowed speed and heart rate. Texting also slowed both, but didn’t even increase enjoyment.

“It appears as if listening to music and, to a lesser extent, talking may have benefits on the duration and/or frequency of exercise due to their ability to increase enjoyment,” said Andrew Lepp, one of the researchers, in a statement. “However, if an individual’s opportunity for exercise is constrained by time, then it appears best to avoid talking on a smartphone during planned exercise.”

Of course, the study was done on subjects who were walking, and smartphones today do a lot more than send text messages, play music and make calls, but there hasn’t been a lot of research done into if all the activity tracking and fitness apps on the market do a lot of help people stay healthy. The study is a good stepping stone to more work.