Sustainability in Your Fitness Routine
The beginning of the new year is when everyone re-evaluates their fitness routines and determine that they want to make a change. Whether you’re a seasoned workout pro or are trying to integrate working out into your routine
more, you might also be interested in doing so in a sustainable way. You’re treating your body in a better, healthier way, so why not also extend that courtesy to the environment?
Here are some ways you can bring greener practices into your fitness routine:
Practice yoga
One way to invite more sustainability into your exercise routine is by practicing yoga. Center and ground yourself with yoga, connecting with the environment around you and finding a deeper appreciation for it. Once you do that, it’ll be easy to see why sustainability is so important, and you’ll be looking for more opportunities to create a greener lifestyle for yourself. Since yoga doesn’t involve much equipment, aside from a yoga mat and perhaps some extras like a block or elastic band, you don’t have a huge environmental footprint in your practice. Taking it further, you don’t need any electricity or other resources to practice yoga. It’s one of the lowest impact exercises you can do, and it’ll leave you feeling refreshed and rejuvenated after each session.
Don’t discount at-home workouts
You don’t need a gym membership to stay fit. Everything you can achieve at the gym can also be done from the comfort of your home or nearby public space, like a park or playground. If you purchase small weights and other
minor equipment that doesn’t rely on electricity, then you won’t have to travel to the gym to work out—aka wasting gas (and money!). You can watch YouTube videos or DVDs to find at-home workouts that will help you stay fit
while keeping a small environmental footprint.
Back to the basics
You’re literally provided with two feet that can help you do plenty of exercise without having to waste gas to drive somewhere or electricity on machines. Whether you’re aiming to get your 10,000 steps in every day, are doing more
intense hiking, or are running multiple miles, you can stay fit while appreciating the beautiful world around you. And as an added bonus, you’ll be able to think about how you’re keeping that beautiful world a little healthier and happier with your sustainable fitness practices. There are also plenty of deals available for fitness classes if you want to try something out before committing to a membership.
If walking isn’t fast-paced enough for you, you can also buy a bike—not an electric bike machine. You can run errands, commute to and from work or school, and pretty much do anything that you could do in a car on a bike.
You’ll again save resources by not using a vehicle to get about, will be able to stay fit, and can see the beautiful sites around you. If your morning commute has got you especially down, sitting in traffic every day, find an alternate
route that you could do on the saddle where you can pass trees and not have to sit behind other cars. It’s a freeing and thrilling experience.
Hit the pool
Swimming is one of the best exercises you can do—just treading water and not even committing to doing laps will burn hundreds of calories. It’s a peaceful way to stay in tune with your body and stay fit, while again not
burning any resources. You can go to a local YMCA or nearby gym that has a pool and just spend hours in the water. And if you’re looking for a more intense workout in the pool, you can do laps and time yourself.
Taking this further, if you live close to the ocean, a lake, or a river, you can expand out into other water-based sports, like surfing, paddle boarding, or kayaking. Not only do these sports also keep you fit, they channel different
muscles than swimming does so you can get a fuller workout. For instance, surfing and paddle boarding in particular require a lot of balancing and core strength.
Use equipment that doesn’t use electricity
If you’re loyal to your gym or certain exercise equipment, you might want to instead try and find a gym that prioritizes sustainability with its equipment. That might mean using machines that don’t waste too much electricity, such as weight-intensive machines where you use your body as the resistance. This could also mean finding a gym that invests in equipment that gives back to the environment, such as an exercise bike that generates electricity rather than using it.
With all of the options available, it’s almost easy to incorporate sustainability into your exercise routines. Whether you want to work out from home, outdoors, or in the gym, there are all sorts of options available to help you commit to a greener lifestyle.
