Studying and Fitness: A Guide to Using Your MP3 Player for Learning

It has been said that if you keep doing the same thing, you can expect the same results. So, it stands to reason, if you want to improve, then why not try something new?

It has been shown that there is a strong link between improved learning and fitness (please see the "resources" section). I know that when I was studying anatomy and physiology for my degree, it helped me to go over study material while I was working out on the StairMaster machine. I know this isn't everyone's style. But there is an easy way to incorporate learning into your fitness experience.

A novel idea: your mp3 player does not have to play music. Yes, it's true that many of today's mp3 players allow you to tune in to your favorite news stations via radio. Also, many permit streaming audio for your listening pleasure. This is great for general learning and staying up to date on world events.

However, what if you want to listen to other study material, but just don't have the time? What if you want to listen to one of your favorite sermons? What if you want to listen to marketing strategies?

Virtually any audio file can be converted to an mp3 and listened on your player.

How does one do this? I've found it to be relatively simple, but before I explain the steps, let me say that each mp3 player is a little bit different. Many (Sony products come to mind) rely heavily on software to be able to play various files. The mp3 player that I use is an RCA Lyra. When plugged into the computer via a USB port, it is basically pulled up as an external drive. This means you can add folders, add files and mp3's simply by dragging them from your computer and dropping them onto the drive. You should be able to do this with the more software dependent players, but it will require you to go through different steps for different players.

If you are on the search for an MP3 player, select wisely for your fitness needs. If you are a workout person, and do things that incorporate shaking of the player, then players that have an internal hard drive (for example, the IPOD) may not be the best choice. Internal hard drives are essentially spinning disks; disks can skip. On the other hand, players that are essentially flash drives (like the Lyra) have no internal moving parts, and are basically impervious to being shaken. Don't get me wrong: the IPOD is a great device and hugely popular. Just please select according to your needs.

So, how to transfer an audio file to an mp3 player? For those of you that are used to using software (or internet downloads) to get your mp3 files may not know how to convert files and make them usable for your players. First of all, there are several different types of players on the market that can play files that aren't mp3 files. It may behoove you to select a player that can listen to many different types of audio files. Secondly, different types of operating systems prefer different audio files. For example, Windows will typically store audio files as wav files (the file would look like soundgarden.wav). Linux, on the other hand, seems to prefer Org Vorbis files (soundgarden.ogg).

But, for the sake of this article, lets assume that we want to convert a file to mp3 and listen to it on our player.

If you have a sound clip that you want to hear, first you have to have it on your computer in some type of format. If it is on the internet, then you can usually just save it as a wav file. If it is on a tape recorder (or some other type of recording device) then you may have to use software to record it.

Audacity is a great free tool that works on either Windows or Linux. Install it. While running Audacity, you can select where the input is coming from (speakers? internet? input device? play with the settings until you see that it is recording the voice profile). Once you are done playing the file with Audacity, you then can choose to export it as a wav file. I've also found it useful to use Audacity's effects and increase the volume on your file with "Amplify." Then export and save it wherever you like.

Now that you have the file on your computer, we need to convert it to an mp3 format. In Linux, I've found that whether you use the Gnome desktop or the KDE desktop, soundKonverter is your best bet. It allows conversion of ogg files, wav files, and many other into mp3 format. If you are using Windows, Nero is a great conversion tool, but it costs money. A good freeware alternative is River Past's Wav@mp3.

If using wav@mp3, then open the program. Once wav@mp3 is running, simply select the file that you want converted, click convert and it will convert it to an mp3 file with the same name and save it right next to the wav file that you started with.

Now, once your MP3 player is plugged into the computer, you can move the newly created mp3 file to your player. Either drag and drop or use the software.

You are all set! Now you can workout, learn marketing, listen to a sermon, study your biology, listen to whatever you like on your player. Killing two birds with one stone has neve been so productive!