Five Reason Why You Should Leave Your Phone In Your Bag While Working Out
Let’s be real, we’re on our phones or computers- a lot. I’ve personally been noticing that more and more people bringing their phones with them into their zones, and in effect zoning out during a good portion of the time that should be spent with the attention present in the body. This is why we come to the gym, in order to learn from the School of Movement. The best learning takes place when the mind is present with your movements, where your attention is firmly centered around tracking and observing the most minute of details when in motion. Even the so-called ‘dead time’ when we are resting or recovering seems to now be an opportunity when we are plugged in and consuming information- relevant or not and failing to make the most of the precious time we allot ourselves to be free of the chains that tie us down during the day. So today, I’m coming for your phones with five reasons why you need to bag it and leave it.
It’s distracting you...all the time: Everyone knows the invisible lure of the phone. Just seeing that little black, oblong rectangle in your general vicinity is enough to entice you to check for notifications; something that will give you that little dopamine hit and reinforce the notion that you’re still important in this world. But guess what? During your workout, what’s going on in the world or even in your online life is irrelevant. You drove to the gym in order to move your body and get away from the commitments of daily life so that you can better yourself and go back into the world a better person. We have enough distractions as it is, why bring the biggest one in with you to tempt you from the beginning. Bag it.
You’ll get more out of your workouts: Without the endless series of vibrations and dings beckoning your attention every other minute, your attention is more free to be in your body, tracking, observing and all around just focusing on what you’re doing during each phase of each movement. Instead of scrolling during a rest period, now you can pay close attention to your recovery breathing and determine just how well you are actually able to calm your body and store a bit of energy before your next set or round. You can take the time to sense into your body and ascertain the condition of your muscles and joints, knowing if you need to maybe back off for a round, or possibly go a bit harder if things feel well. You’ll never be able to get this information by responding to an email during the opportunities to be still and feel what’s happening- that is unless your phone comes equipped with a micro quantum x-ray device. Then by all means, use it. Until then, bag it.
You need the break: Let’s be clear about this. If you are so busy that you can’t go without your phone for 45 minutes while you workout, you probably shouldn’t be at the gym at that time. That, or you need to re-evaluate your life. FOMO is real, but only because we made it so. But you need to video yourself to check your form you say? Ok.Tape it. Watch it. When you’ve approved it, put it back in your bag and get back to work; Try uploading it when you’re done with your workout. Why after? Because the second you upload it to the Web, the urge to check it for likes will inevitably set in, creating yet another distraction. Bag it.
You’ll get more face to face contact: Even if from a distance, how many places can you go indoors where you can actually see another human being’s entire face? In this ‘New Normal’, we should cherish the time we get to spend in the vicinity of other people without looking like amateur ninjas. Humans are social creatures by nature. For most of us (many introverts included), interacting with a virtual person will never be better than actually interacting with their physical counterpart in real time. Like sunshine in Nova Scotia, soak up every opportunity you have to see the faces of other human beings in person, because it may be a while until you see them again. Bag it.
You may make some new friends or connections: With your attention free to explore your movements and the people around you, new connections, friendships and relationships will inevitably appear. That person sitting next to you in their zone waiting for the class to begin could be your next business partner, or your next lover, or your next best friend. You would never know this if you simply tucked yourself into a corner and checked out of physical reality and into virtual land whenever the coach wasn’t talking. Something as simple as not missing an opportunity to share a look of misery between you and the person across from you during a rest period could fundamentally alter the course of your entire day in profound ways. But again, if your eyes are down, all those micro-moments that are rich with potential will go completely unnoticed. Bag it.