Books
Everyone knows you're supposed to exercise for your physical improvement, but what about your intellectual gains? If you want to get pumped in body and mind (and be the smug person in your friend group), I've got nine nonfiction audiobooks that will make you smarter while you work out. Download them to your connected device of choice and have yourself a grand old time on your next gym trip.
I love listening to audiobooks during my boring cardio workouts, but I can't keep up with a novel's storyline while I'm trying to adjust my incline or do jumping jacks. So I listen to nonfiction books instead, because I don't have to worry about missing key plot points, and I learn some great facts for party conversations. (That's what you're supposed to do in party conversations, right?)
If you've been struggling to find new podcasts and Spotify playlists to listen to while you work out, try swapping a nonfiction audiobook into the rotation to see how you like it. There are plenty of great, educational audiobooks out there that won't put you to sleep on the treadmill, and you're overlooking a lot of great workout listening material.
Check out my recommendations for the nine audiobooks that will make you smarter while you work out:
'Scatter, Adapt and Remember' by Annalee Newitz, read by Kimberly Farr
If The Walking Dead and Avengers: Infinity War have you worried about what would happen to you and your family in the event of a mass extinction, download Annalee Newitz's Scatter, Adapt and Remember to learn how we can survive the direst of circumstances.
'What If?' by Randall Munroe, read by Wil Wheaton
For the people who have those random questions — Who would win in a fight: Batman or Mecha Godzilla? — pop into their heads at 2 A.M., there's Randall Munroe's What If?, which offers up scientific answers to your most burning inquiries.
'Grit' by Angela Duckworth, read by the author
Feeling burned out at work or school? Check out Angela Duckworth's Grit, which is all about how far tenacity, not talent, will get you.
'Moonwalking with Einstein' by Joshua Foer, read by Mike Chamberlain
If you're having trouble remembering, well, anything, Joshua Foer's Moonwalking with Einstein is full of handy tips and tricks to help improve your memory function.
'The Shock Doctrine' by Naomi Klein, read by Jennifer Wiltsie
For all the social justice-minded exercisers out there, Naomi Klein's The Shock Doctrine details the outrageous practices that further victimize people who have lived through horrifying disasters.
'Blink' by Malcolm Gladwell, read by the author
Not sure whether to trust your intuition? Listen to Malcolm Gladwell's Blink during your next few workouts, and you'll learn how to go with your gut better and faster.
'The Sixth Extinction' by Elizabeth Kolbert, read by Anne Twomey
The extinction mentioned in the first entry on this list is the subject of Elizabeth Kolbert's The Sixth Extinction, which examines how humanity can and will cause the next great, planet-wide disaster.
'Thinking, Fast and Slow' by Daniel Kahneman, read by Patrick Egan
How do we think, and why are the products of our thought processes so often wrong? In Thinking, Fast and Slow, Nobel Prize winner Daniel Kahneman examines the two ways we think — instinctual reactions and deep contemplation — and how we can understand the cognitive biases that govern our thought processes in order to think better.
'Reality Is Broken' by Jane McGonigal, read by the author
Do we take life too seriously, and could games improve our health and longevity? Game designer Jane McGonigal thinks so, and in Reality is Broken, she lays out just how good games can change the world.
