Given that so many of us are so dependent on our technology  these days I thought it might be interesting to look at how it may impact our exercise performance. A recent study of people using their mobile phones to talk or text during an exercise session showed some concerning results. The risk of injury increased significantly, due to a reduction in postural stability leading to balance issues and participants in the study were less likely to workout at an intensity that was conducive to gaining optimum results. It turns out that using a mobile phone for anything other than listening to music is a distraction which really should probably come as no surprise to anyone. However that puts to rest the idea that we can multitask effectively even when we exercise. So it looks like if we’re going to take our mobile phones with us on our workout we need to only use it for listening to music. Alternatively it can be used to track progress using a fitness App. This is something that can ideally be done post workout  The idea is to avoid glancing down at the screen as this affects balance.  So it looks like a pre programmed playlist of songs is the go. If the phone rings, it may be best to let it go to message bank to avoid having a session compromised unless of course it’s an emergency. Or else there’s always the option of leaving the mobile phone at home to enjoy some time out “unplugged” to give yourself the best chance of completing an effective workout.