Kinesthetic Learning - Day 8 of 30 - Things That Make My Life Easier

I'm Jaren, a neurodivergent Mom of neurodivergent kids going back to school in my 40's. In this series, I'll be posting about things that make my life easier.

Kinesthetic Learning

I had just turned 42 when I learned what I'm about to share with you. I mean, technically, I've seen bike-desks and walking-desks for years, and have used them myself for work-related things, but I never thought about using movement for the express intent of improving my memory.

A friend of mine who sat next to me in my Licensed Practical Nursing course would occasionally get up and walk around the back of the classroom during lectures and, one day, I asked him why. He said it was how he learned best. He was a kid who had difficulty sitting still in class, and instead of his parents trying to change him to fit the school, they fit the schoolwork to him. Each day after school, they'd have hime walk around the house with his school materials. That's how he studied.

It paid off, because let me tell you, I have never seen this guy take notes and he's a total whiz.

So, in an effort to kill two birds with one stone starting on my 42nd birthday, I decided to take my schoolwork to the gym (yeah, this year I decided to get fit!) and study while I warm up on the treadmill before my weightlifting routine.

My, oh my. What a difference.

This is the magic of kinesthetic learning.

Does it work for everyone? I have no idea. I'm hoping you'll try it out and let me know.

Most stairmasters, treadmills and stationary bikes have ledges on them where you can rest your phone. That's where I rest my binder (which I'll be talking about in a future episode for better note-taking).

Do I get weird looks? Probably. But I'm getting A's in all my classes, y'all. What do I care?

-Jaren

Here's a screenshot showing how I study my nursing notes while I'm warming up at the gym for 20 minutes. 10/10 would recommend!