Going green is in and looking for ways to keep our bodies healthy and the planet healthy at the same time is revitalizing and every little bit will help preserve the Earth for future generations. There are several ways to reduce our carbon footprint while sweating through a cardio session or pumping iron at home or in a gym. Let’s take a look at six ways you can go green with your workout.
Grab A Workout Partner
Teaming up with a workout partner is one of the best ways to stay motivated and accountable with your workouts. When lifting heavy weights, a partner can spot you to ensure that you avoid getting injured. In terms of going green, having a workout partner is a great way to help the environment when it comes to carpooling to the gym. By carpooling, you can cut emissions by only driving one vehicle. Better yet, a workout partner may be the motivation you both need to bike or jog to and from the gym together and keep the trip emission free.
Get Outside
If your aerobic workouts consist of using a treadmill or cycling machine, get outside for a change of pace. Using workout machines that use electricity can be a huge electrical energy drain. By getting outside to jog, walk or bike, you’ll be a big help to the planet. If you own a treadmill at home, you can save wear and tear on it by going outside instead. It will also reduce your energy costs.
Use Bodyweight Exercises
Bodyweight exercises are a great way to get a complete workout. They are versatile in that they can be performed just about anywhere and at anytime and they don’t require expensive equipment. Also, they keep your workout green by releasing you from the requirement of working out at a gym. Your gym becomes anywhere you choose to workout with bodyweight exercises. Some great bodyweight exercises include push-ups, crunches, reverse grip pull-ups, bodyweight squats, and planks.
Join a Green Gym
If you live in a larger city, you might be lucky enough to find one in it. A green gym basically modifies their cardio equipment so that the energy that exercisers generate when using a machine like a treadmill or stair-stepper is returned to the facility to power things like ceiling fans, lights, and televisions. As a bonus, since a gym will have reduced energy bills, they might pass along the savings to members with lower membership fees.
Use Your Own Towel
Laundry machines use a significant amount of energy and can really increase a gym’s carbon footprint. Instead of using the towels at the gym, bring your own hand towel for wiping your hands or wiping down machines. Also bring your own towel for showering. For further energy savings, hang the hand and shower towels up to air dry and use them more than one time. By using your own towels, you will be doing your part to save the environment. If everyone started using their own towels, it would mean a huge carbon footprint reduction for the gym and less energy costs as well. The gym might pass these cost reductions to you in the form of reduced membership fees.
Refill That Water Bottle
Instead of buying bottled water or energy drinks and tossing the bottles away, hydrate through your workouts with a water bottle you can wash and refill. By buying fewer plastic bottles, you can keep landfills from filling up with the empties. It will also mean less energy is spent by companies producing the plastic bottles and less energy spent transporting them to grocery stores.
This post has been written by Carson from Building Body Muscles.com. Buildingbodymuscles is all about gaining muscle. If you are looking for tips to gain muscle naturally then subscribe to their RSS.
Great tips — love them!