Keep It Simple Stupid: How Innovation is Ruining Your Workouts!

It's funny how many people rely entirely upon their smartphone, heart rate monitor, and fitness apps to tell them what to do for workout. They can't even remember how to plan their own fitness routines without first consulting the five apps they have installed on their phone. They turn to fancy machines for their workouts, and they are unable to function if their music suddenly stops playing mid-workout. But could all of this innovation be ruining your workout? Ockam's razor states: More things should not be used than are necessary. (in the original Latin: Entia non sunt multiplicanda praeter necessitate) What does this mean for you?

• Turn off that smartphone and stop relying on your fitness apps to tell you what to do.
• Get off those weight machines and get back to the basics: bodyweight and free weight workouts.
• Step off the treadmill, spinning bicycle, and elliptical machine, and do cardio the old fashioned way: pounding the streets, park, or riding your bicycle in the great outdoors.
• Turn off your music and just let your mind wander as you run. You'll be amazed by some of the things that come to mind when you allow yourself to think.

Dependency on technology can actually ruin your workout! For example, your gym is filled with fancy machines, but that "modern technology" is far less effective than good old-fashioned free weights. You never quite push yourself as hard on the treadmill or elliptical machine as you do out on the streets. Technology can make your workout more effective, but the truth is that it will only AID in your workouts. It comes down to discipline, hard work, and finding the best way to push your body to its limits. Sometimes it's better to unplug and get back to the basics--to Keep It Simple, Stupid!  

Featured Image Source: www.jumpfitnessnow.com

Resources: http://journals.humankinetics.com/ijspp-back-issues/ijspp-volume-9-issue-5-september/in-the-age-of-technology-occamrsquos-razor-still-applies