Sports and music go, as for many of you, hand in hand for me. It started with carefully selecting my playlists for my long runs during marathon training and continued when I added cycling to my routine.
I am pretty strict with my music lists. Music is carefully selected. Shuffle option is no option and my radar (read: Shazam) for great new songs to add to this long list is always on.
Yes, I know there are also many people who become totally Zen from the sound of their own breathing or their footsteps on the pavement. But I am not one of them. I am one of those people who can get really pumped up and motivated by listening to all sorts of songs during my (solo) ride or run. At that moment, they lead me to my own exercise world, where I can totally switch off from the real world. Wait hold on, switching off the real world while running or riding in it? Isn’t that dangerous? Well, actually it is. Madness if you ask me now. Especially when you’re riding a bike.
Shockingly good
So what are your options? Turn down the volume? Put only one earbud in? Yes, could work but not a perfect solution. And I am a very big fan of perfect solutions. I can tell you I am pretty happy with the solution I found. Shockingly happy!
I had never heard of bone conducting devices, until I found out about and tried Aftershokz. They rocked and shocked my music driven exercise routine completely.
How does it work? Well, without getting too technical it comes down to the device playing the music via your jaw bones. Small vibrations are sent through the bones to the middle ear and thus to the inner ear and the brain. It sounds pretty revolutionary futuristic but actually the technique was there for a while already. It was firstly used in the military industry, enabling soldiers to listen to commands and still hear their surroundings. Effective and safe. Just like you like your run or ride, right?
I had the chance to try this novice device and have been using it for multiple purposes in the past year. As incredible as it sounds, well, so is its experience. They do take you into your own music/exercise bubble but not fully. They provide you your necessary musical energy without loosing touch of your surroundings. And they go further than sports related activities. In this crazy past year we have all been working from home a lot more, using devices to communicate with our colleagues and business partners online. And guess what? My Aftershokz Aeropex is also shockingly suitable for that. A nice additional benefit.
The bone conducting device has become a solid and reliable partner in several moments of my everyday life, ensuring my safety while adding some sound to my life. A big improvement. But most importantly, I feel it can improve the safety of many of recreational, commuting cyclists or your children as well. We are all out there on the streets together and that doesn’t improve safety. While mobile phones have been banned in our hands by law, while participating in traffic, please reconsider closing yourself off from all surrounding sounds too.
I’d say stop being shocked (by unheard traffic) and start using Aftershokz!
KimQ76 