To help preserve the beauty of our earth, it’s important for us to make small changes to our lifestyle that will impact our planet in a big way. Living a sustainable lifestyle is all about understanding how our personal choices impact the world and committing to making a change-like limiting our use of harmful plastics or only eating food that’s farmed sustainably.
If you’re looking for somewhere to start, why not begin living more sustainably by greening your health and fitness routine? Here are a few small changes you can make to your fitness regime that can help make a big impact on our health and the health of the environment.
How to Green Your Health and Fitness Routine
1. Cut Out Plastic Water Bottles
Did you know that 80 percent of plastic water bottles end up in landfills? On top of that, 8 million tons of plastic enter the ocean every year. Using a reusable water bottle is a small change that could make a huge difference. According to Beyond Plastics, using a reusable water bottle saves 156 plastic bottles from filling the ocean.
2. Invest in Sustainable Workout Gear
The world’s second-largest polluter aside from the oil industry is the fashion industry. Shopping for workout clothes that are ethically made can help slow the amount of clothing filling up our landfills. Investing in sustainable shoes and clothing that’s made from recycled fabrics and materials can help lower your carbon footprint, large amounts of waste, and water pollution.
In addition, donating and repurposing your old shoes and clothing can help lower the amount of waste entering our landfills. Try donating your clothes to local shelters and thrift shops or repurpose old items, like a t-shirt as a cleaning rag.
3. Exercise Outdoors
Green exercise isn’t just good for our health, it’s great for the planet, too. Green exercise refers to any form of physical activity that takes place outdoors in natural environments. Exercising outdoors can help lower your carbon footprint since you are minimizing the use of energy-consuming equipment you’d be using in a gym. In addition, green exercise can also support your mental health-decreasing feelings of anxiety, stress, and depression.
Utilize open spaces in your area, like trails, parks, and beaches to get a good workout while connecting with nature.
4. Consider Plogging
Plogging is a green exercise that combines jogging with picking up trash. It can be a great way to give back by cleaning up the earth and getting a great workout in at the same time. Get a monthly plogging group together, grab a friend or family member or go on your own. Make sure to practice safety by wearing comfortable shoes, protective clothing, and gloves to avoid to prevent cuts when picking up glass and other litter.
What better way to celebrate Earth Month than by making these small changes to your health and fitness routine? If you’re ready to make an impact on our planet, check out the infographic guide below for more tips on how to make fitness more sustainable, as well as eco-friendly workout ideas you can try today.
5. Cycle or walk to work
Walking or cycling to work as opposed to driving may help reduce air pollutants while getting a great workout in.
Even if you’re working from home, you can fake a commute by riding your bicycle or walking around your neighborhood before work.
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