The most common choice for treadmillers, stair steppers or elliptical users while working out is music. Keeping a solid beat to the tune of your favorite pump up songs is one of the most effective ways to pass the time as your feet pound against machine in an attempt to keep your physical fitness up to par through cardio exercise.

While songs like Kanye’s “Power,” the Black Eyed Peas’ “Pump It” and Ariana Grande’s “Side to Side” may be great songs to get you moving, music grows old and the sound of your bed and a Netflix marathon begin to sound a little more tempting.

When doing the same cardio routine day after day, the workout can become quite dull. Suddenly, you require more than your usual pump up playlist to keep you on the machine. What better way to switch it up than a podcast?

Recently, I have found a love for the many different podcasts offered on Spotify and Apple Music. Often with music you can enjoy the sounds without paying close attention to the words being said. This is not the case with podcasts, therefore making it a much better distraction from the lack of oxygen entering your lungs.

There are tons of different podcast options available. My personal favorites are “Lore,” “This American Life,” “Serial” and “Nancy.”  By listening to stories instead of a tune, it becomes much easier to pay attention to what is echoing through your headphones instead of the 120 stairs you just climbed.

Best friends and roommates Riley Cooper and Anna Miller are both NDSU seniors that took a liking to podcasts almost a year ago. After hearing about how podcast popularity in the gym had skyrocketed, they decided to give it a try.

“When I started listening to podcasts, I realized I spent much more time on the machines than before,” Cooper said. “I was able to distract myself with the stories instead of focusing on getting tired.”

Cooper and Miller both, like myself, prefer podcasts of the storytelling category when doing cardio because it is hard not to finish the story without stopping to climb off the machine. However, there are many categories to choose from.

“The mysteries and serial killer stories are so intriguing,” Miller began. “It’s just interesting to hear the background of a murder or an old urban legend in story form. It keeps my mind preoccupied.”

Next time you decide to hit the gym for a cardio session, try a podcast. Who knows? Maybe you’re more in shape than you thought.