While this blog mainly is about what I cook and eat, the ultimate goal is to make me actively think about my calorie and nutrient intake and help me maintain my weight.
Big part of achieving that is of course getting rid of the calories I gobble up. That's right, exercise.
I try to go running a few times a week (and lately completely fail on that), and I simply can't run without listening to something. Often music, but lately I find myself more often catch up on podcasts.
Listening to podcasts while running is great, there's something meditative in the running that really helps focus my attention to the podcast, something I find really hard when just being at home or on the bus.
Choice of content aside, listening to audio while running requires great earphones. Recently I needed a new pair, and having made a few bad choices of earphone supposedly great for exercise in the past I embarked on the usual online research with trepidation.
Buying a pair of earphones without trying them "in action" is so hit and miss. Like picking a pair of shoes out purely on looks. Doesn't work.
For me a pair of earphones to be used when exercising need to:
- Have great sound, with a decent register from proper bass to voice ranges. I can't bear it when the bass disappears as the these days so common in ear buds start migrating out of my ears.
- Sit comfortably by the start of a run as well as by the end of it.
- Minimise the noise made by the cable swinging about with each step. I want to hear the rhythm from the drums, not from my feet pounding the ground.
- Let a decent amount of surrounding noise in. Hearing cars honking and bicyclists shouting is a good thing when crossing streets...
- Be lightweight enough to hardly be noticeable.
- Not break the bank.
- Be rugged enough to take abuse from being snagged in something I run past, survive getting in and out of bags, and end up on the floor when I come home and collapse in a heap...
In short, I want them to deliver great sound without getting in the way of my running.
Happily I have found a pair matching all these demands! Based on recommendation from an online friend I got a pair of Sennheiser PMX 680 Sports. For a video review and demo (from Sennheiser, but still) check this out:
At under £30 they are a steal! They sit perfectly, deliver very clear and full range sound, and come with an extra volume control with a clip securing the cable to my top.
Awesome. Well recommended. Buy these earphones here from Amazon (and buy using this link, I get a bit of kick back, neato)!
If the idea of a neckband around your head annoys you, check out the Sennheiser CX 680 Sports which W just got for herself. With wings securing the earphones instead of a neckband, they are perhaps more suited for the gym. Especially since they do a good job at isolating out the outside noise, keeping the usually quite crap gym music away... While W was a bit skeptical at first when she saw them, once she tried them in the gym she loved them.
If you want to get a few options, check out this guide to the best earphones for exercise and running.
What earphones do you use when exercising? Leave your tips in the comments below!
