Reading While Walking

Maybe I have reading on the brain recently. Or maybe we can just call this a follow up to my last post. Either way, I have something else that I think should exist when it comes to books.

Last spring I worked at a temporary job where I was given frequent short breaks. At that same time I was really engaged in reading a particular book. On my breaks, I would take my book outside and read while walking around the parking lot. This was an opportunity for me to take advantage of the nice weather and get a little bit of exercise, which kept me from falling asleep when I got back to work.

That never seemed difficult or out of the ordinary to me, but I did have several people tell me that they had trouble reading while walking. Since this never seemed to me like something that might be difficult, I don’t know if the problem is an inability to concentrate, a fear of running into things, or something else.

No matter what the difficulty is, I think there should be something that helps people to read while walking. While it may not be the most thorough or intense form of exercise, it is at least something, and for many it may be the only exercise they get. Many people (like me) need some sort of distraction in order to exercise without getting bored or frustrated. My most impatient moments are the ones when I’m looking at the timer on the treadmill. So why should anyone have to choose between exercise and reading?

I’m picturing some sort of device with mirrors similar to rear view or side view mirrors on a car. Maybe someone else has another idea for what this might look like. Maybe there would need to be some research done to determine exactly what makes it so difficult to read and walk at the same time.

Once someone comes up with a solution to this issue, I think it should be available in Sky Mall magazine. This definitely sounds like a Sky Mall product.

Does anyone know what makes walking and reading difficult? Is there already a product/device that addresses this?

Something Needs to Hold My Book Open

I love books. I like reading, but books themselves are really important to me.

Many people are switching away from the traditional book format in favor of electronic book formats like the Amazon Kindle or Apple’s soon-to-be-released (and curiously-named) iPad.

With all of the technophiles out there, it’s pretty easy to forget that there is still a significant portion of the population who resist technology. Technophobes are listed as one of the microtrends in Mark Penn’s 2007 book Microtrends, meaning they represent a significant group of people with unique needs that must be addressed.

I wanted to make the above point because my idea for today’s post deals with books as they are used in their traditional format. Because I want to be presenting ideas that can be considered relevant, I felt I needed to illustrate that. In addition, I reserve the right to make this point again in future posts.

While I don’t consider myself a technophobe, I do have a deep appreciation and respect for the written word in it’s printed (non-electronic) form. During the approximately six hours per week that I spend on a treadmill, I like to bring a book along to read. This helps me pass the time. I have gotten pretty good at reading while walking, but the only way I can do that is to hold the book in my hands. If I set the book on the little ledge thing that is attached on the front of the treadmill, the book closes.

Each make and model of treadmill seems to have a slightly different version of that ledge, but I have never seen one that will allow me to keep my book from closing on me. Also, there are other times when I need my book to be held open without using my hands. For example, when I’m lying by the pool and I want to expose a certain part of my arms to the sunlight, I cannot hold a book.

Someone needs to invent something that will hold books open when they are not being held. I have seen so many homemade versions of such a thing; the homemade versions involve anything from a complicated system of paper clips and rubber bands to simply a shoe laid on top of a the book. Though the idea is inspired by my workout needs, I really want to see something that is more useful that can be used in any situation. If someone could invent something simple to keep my book from closing on me when I want to read, that person could market it to anyone who prefers to read books in their traditional form, librophiles and technophobes alike.

Does anyone know of something that already does this? Am I the only person left who prefers traditional books?