A new study has revealed that using smartphones as you run or walk on the treadmill reduces the intensity of the exercise, resulting in overall less health benefits.
Kent State University's Jacob Barkley said that exercising at a lower intensity has been found to reduce the health benefits of exercise and fitness improvements over time.
Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania's Michael Rebold said that these findings are important because poor cardiorespiratory fitness is associated with an increased prevalence of cardiovascular disease risk factors, such as higher cholesterol and blood pressure levels, which could potentially lead to premature mortality.
The study demonstrated that relative to the no smartphone condition, the three smartphone functions, music, talking and texting, differentially affect exercise behavior.
Using the phone exclusively for listening to music increased the average treadmill speed, heart rate and enjoyment of a bout of exercise, talking increased enjoyment, maintained heart rate but reduced speed and, texting reduced both speed and heart rate, but it did not alter enjoyment.
Andrew Lepp said that 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, but if one's opportunity for exercise is constrained by time, then it appears best to avoid talking on a smartphone during planned exercise.
