Reading and Workouts

Finding time to read can often be difficult, especially for parents. We talk about this problem a lot on this site because reading takes a lot of effort and focus to actually include in your life. Being a parent does not really lend itself to finding free time, especially for your favorite hobbies that don’t include your family in them. Reading when you have the chance is the best way to get through books.

While many people like to listen to their favorite music while working out, you have other options as well. It may seem weird at first to listen to an audiobook while working out if you’ve never done it before. However, it’s actually one of the best times to actually listen to an audiobook as you’re not distracted by anything else except working out - you don’t have kids hanging all over trying to get your attention, you’re not looking at your phone the whole time (or at least it’s easier to keep it put away), and there are not other distractions.

When working out, you’re going to be focused on completing your workout. Listening to an audiobook allows you to keep focus on two things and can be quite motivating depending on what you’re listening to. It allows the time when resting during your workout to also remain focused - you’ll continue to be focused on the book and prepare for your next exercise. It really is a great way to focus.

If you have never listened to audiobooks while working out it may seem weird. You should absolutely give it a try for a few workouts though to see how you like it. People ask me commonly what I’m listening to when working out and they often seem shocked that I’m listening to books. However, I’d rather spend my time listening to a book then just let the music play in the background - I can listen to music while working as I don’t need to focus on the actual music whereas I do need to focus on a book.

Audiobooks are quite easy to get these days. Whether you choose to pay for Audible, use your local library, or download them from another online site, it’s really easy to have a book that you can listen to at any time. As long as you have a phone with you (which most everyone does all the time now) you can listen to an audiobook wherever you are. Audiobooks also allow you to not have to actually hold a book in your hand.

Audiobooks are great options for parents in general. You can listen to them while working out, you can listen to them while driving in the car, and you can listen to them while cleaning the house. They allow you to easily multi-task which you often need as a parent. While reading an actual book is also awesome, busy parents and people generally have a hard time getting started with actually reading a book - listening to an audiobook is much easier.

Grab an audiobook when you workout and let it play in the background while you workout. It allows you to keep your focus on two things without getting distracted - you have something to focus on besides your workout and so you’re not constantly looking at your phone during rest times. Staying focused during a workout with an audiobook is a very efficient use of time.

Listen to audiobooks while working out. It’s a great option to get through more books and have a great workout.