I love listening to audiobooks! In fact, since I began walking 3 years ago, I’ve listened to dozens of books ranging from bestselling fiction, World War 2 History, How-to books, Internet Marketing, content creation, and my all-time favorite “Why I Love Baseball” by Larry King.

Now, most recently I listened to the audiobook version of my Walking for Health and Fitness Book as a way to review and edit it before its release.

Walking and audiobooks go hand-in-hand. You are out walking in the fresh air, getting in a great exercise groove, and your mind is free to fully comprehend the information coming into your ears.

Listening to a good audiobook will also push you to walk more. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve said I’ll walk for just one more chapter. The added walking time really adds to my mileage total.

Here are 5 benefits of listening to audiobooks. Take advantage of this great learning and entertainment tool as you get entertained and add to your knowledge base all while increasing your walking mileage on your way to a healthier, fitter, happier you!

5 Benefits of Listening to Audiobooks

1. You can listen while exercising: Out on a walk, run, or on a treadmill, audiobooks can provide entertainment, information, and help you pass the miles quickly. Nothing feels better than to end a good walk feeling physically and mentally refreshed.

2. Make doing tasks more pleasurable: Doing dishes, folding laundry, watching your kid's little league game go into its third hour with no end in sight. Pass the time entertained with a good title. Who knows, you may hope for extra innings!

3. They’re relaxing: I Remember back to a time when my favorite teacher read a chapter a day at the end of class. I loved to just listen to her soothing voice! Fifth grade was a treat as Mrs. D would end the day with a few pages of Jaws!

4. Faster reading pace = more books read: You can set your player at 1.5 -2x speed and it won’t affect comprehension. I’ve found that while initially, the voice sounded off, pretty soon it became very normal and I got through many more books. I especially used the increased speed while listening to “dry” material such as Eight Ways to Great by Dr. Doug Hirschhorn, and Content Machine by Dan Norris.

5. Helps you stay engaged with the book: Exercise and learning go hand in hand. In fact, new research suggests that the real reason humans are primed to exercise is to support brain health! A number of studies have shown that aerobic exercise, can increase the size of the hippocampus.

The hippocampus, located in the medial temporal lobe of the brain, is at the core of the brain’s learning and memory system. Other research suggests exercise improves brain function by promoting the growth of a protein called ‘brain-derived neurotrophic factor’ (BDNF), which promotes the health of nerve cells and seems to have a role in improving memory.

Walking and Listening to Audiobooks

If you’re new to walking, and you are new to audiobooks, you will find combining the two a motivating reason to get out the door day after day.

Most athletes, even professional say that the hardest part of working out is just getting started. Read more about the benefits of walking for health and fitness.

Having a good audiobook to look forward to can give you that push to put one foot in front of the other and keep moving. These 5 benefits of listening to audiobooks will keep you healthy, entertained, informed, and will prod you to keep on walking!

Walk on,
Frank S. Ring
Author: Walking for Health and Fitness, Fitness Walking and Bodyweight Exercises, and Walking Inspiration. All books include a FREE audiobook version!

PS Please join in on the conversation. Specifically, what audiobooks have you listened to? What activity do you do while listening? How often? And, have you noticed any positive effects on your mental sharpness?