Researchers at Hiram College in Ohio analyzed 45 college students as they worked out while texting or talking. A separate control group did calisthenics and/or cardio without phones. Unsurprisingly, swiping right mid-workout makes it harder to focus on your pushups and burpees. Texting also reduces “postural stability”—how well you can stay balanced—by 45%, the researchers found, and talking on the phone mid-exercise hurts balance by 19%. The one thing that didn’t have any negative effects was listening to music.
Texting also negatively affects posture throughout the day, the study found.
“If you’re talking or texting on your cell phone while you’re putting in your daily steps, your attention is divided by the two tasks, and that can disrupt your postural stability and, therefore, possibly predispose individuals to other greater inherent risks such as falls and musculoskeletal injuries,” said Michael Rebold, Ph.D., assistant professor of integrative exercise science.
