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Is Reading While Walking Good?

This is a tricky question. On the one hand, it is good for you to read while walking. You burn calories and you can use that time to learn something new. It may be dangerous to read while walking. Especially walking outside you have to be careful. You might fall or get hit by a car.

Reading while walking might be good for you, depending on your goal. Since you are outside, you are not completely focused on the text you read. After all, you need some attention to your surroundings. Don’t aim to understand a difficult text. Do some light reading. You could use your walk to pre-read a chapter. 

This way, when you sit at your desk again, you already know what to expect in your chapter. Doing this makes reading easier. 

YouTube video

How Is It Possible To Read A Book While Walking?

Reading a book while walking outside starts with good preparation. You have to know what you want to read. Since you want to study something, you should mark these pages. Next you have to make sure you will be safe. Don’t walk through your city center. Don’t walk in crowded areas or places where there is a lot of traffic. This can be dangerous! 

Since you are walking with a book in your hand, you can not really take notes. Have you thought about that? The easiest way to take care of this is by using a pencil. Highlight or mark sections that are important or need more attention later. 

(learn more about taking notes using mind maps)

Once you did all that, you can go outside. Find a long straight pavement or street to walk along. Don’t walk a route that has a lot of turns. This is not good for your focus and makes it more difficult to navigate. 

Keep your book slightly in front of your eyes, at the level of your chest. Make sure you can see the pavement starting 10 feet in front of you. This way you know what’s coming and you won’t be surprised. 

Having your book in front of you also gives you a peripheral view of everything left and right of you. When you have your book near your waist, you can’t look clearly around you. This is dangerous. Also, your neck is not straight thus reducing the flow of oxygen-rich blood to your brain. 

Why Is Walking Good For Studying?

To study better, you have to make sure your brain receives enough oxygen. When you don’t receive this, your brain will be tired of simply dozing off. By walking you improve the circulation of blood to your brain. 

Another wonderful benefit of walking while studying has to do with the way our brains work. Your brain has to do a lot of things. It has to keep you walking, keep your balance, and coordinate between movements. All of this does take a lot of brain power. Normally this brain power is not used when you sit down. This means that you will get less distracted by your surroundings. You will be more focused on the reading part of your walk. Note that this is not ever increasing! 

Walking has to do with rhythm as well. You put your brain in a form of trance by the pacing. This helps you to focus also.

(learn more about how to study if you don’t have a lot of time)

Did you know that your brain has 3 basic memory system? These are visual, auditory, and kinetic. When you walk and read you activate all of these. When you sit down, you don’t use the kinetic memory that much. This is the brain that is involved in movement. 

You may have seen this before and how it works. Do you memorize information better when you walk around in your room? Or do you play with your pen or something else when reading? This activates your kinetic memory.

Your brain also likes it when you walk around. Walking increases the oxygen flow to your brain. When you don’t feel you can or should walk when reading, still use this. Right before you study, walk a few minutes. Do some physical exercises. Get that blood flowing! It will improve your focus and your memory.

When you are walking outside taking notes is slightly more difficult. Reading or studying when walking could take more time because of this. Fortunately, this can be solved easily…

Is It Safe To Read While Walking On A Treadmill?

Reading while walking on a treadmill could be a wonderful way to exercise and study at the same time. You can have your computer or book in front of you and walk. The benefit of this is that you can also take notes!

Using a treadmill together with a standing desk is an ideal solution. You get exercise and you can study at the same time! 

The disadvantage of this is of course that you need to buy a treadmill and a standing desk. The desk could be build by yourself. The treadmill is usually an investment. Personally, I think it is a good one. 

walking and studying on a treadmill

Running on your treadmill is probably not a good exercise while studying. It is difficult to keep your eyes focused on your book. But hey… you might be able to do this. There are so many people running with a stroller while listening to an audio book. 

Conclusion

Try this! Start walking with a book in hand. Read while exercising. Even if you could only pre-read the text you will read later at your desk, this can be beneficial. 

When you read while walking, always keep in mind that this could be dangerous. You can trip, get hit by a car, or bump into other people. To cut the risk, walk on a long straight street. Walk during a time there are few people on the street. I am sure you will be fine 🙂

Enjoy your next study session. If you have any questions let me know (also if you have questions about other topics). Happy studying!

The Productive

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