Top podcasts to learn while you run

Kwik Brain with Jim Kwik

American podcaster and memory expert Jim Kwik is all about harnessing the power of the brain to learn things super-quickly, so if you’re strapped for time, his podcast is ideal. Packed full of practical tips for switching your brain back on and remembering things better, subjects covered in over 200 episodes include to how to sleep better and ways to unfreeze yourself from fear.

Well Far: The Running Podcast

If you want to learn more about running while you run Well Far is an excellent way to make sense of the wealth of running information out there.

Host and running expert Amy Lane speaks to an array of coaches, amateur runners and pro athletes to determine which running advice is useful and which is best ignored. Topics covered include running after giving birth, how to come back from injury and how to choose and buy the correct sports bra.

Happier with Gretchen Rubin

Can you learn to be happier? Gretchen Rubin believes so, and has spent her career exploring ways to make people’s lives happier. Her successful podcast, which she hosts alongside her sister Elizabeth Craft, provides a wealth of information, strategies and advice on how to be in happier in all areas of your life. A good starting point is episodes 35-38, which cover which type of identity you are and how that affects your happiness.

Stuff You Should Know (SYSK)

A simple concept executed excellently by hosts Chuck Bryant and Josh Clark, the idea is to explain everyday things that most of us don’t know much about. The duo covers everything from how chilli peppers work to the history of skateboarding and – one that you might appreciate mid-run – how pain works. You’ll come away from each episode with your brain bulging with facts that you’ll be itching to pass on.

Radiolingua Coffee Break Languages

Like patting your head while rubbing your stomach, learning a language while running will push your brain to its limit. It’s essentially like making your grey matter push weights while you tackle a 10-mile run.

With six languages on offer – French, German, Spanish, Italian, Swedish and Chinese – you’ll begin with learning popular phrases that will be useful on a trip to the country, and build up from there via the paid-for courses if you want to progress further.