Top Green Workout Tips
Posted by Elliott on Wednesday, December 9, 2009 · View Comments
- Stay home
There’s a reason Jane Fonda made a fortune from those exercise videos: working out athome is easy and convenient. Plenty ofroutines—like weight training, yoga, or Pilates—require nothing more than a mat and some room to lunge or squat, so it’s possible to put together a cardio and strength training combination that you can do while watching Friends before dinner.
- Get outside
More intense cardio-like running, biking, or jumping rope-works better with a little more space, but why waste the energy required to run a treadmill or stationery bike when the whole world is waiting for you? Lacing up a pair of running shoes and going for a jog is the simplest do-anywhere workout; all you need are the shoes. If you’re not a runner, you still have options: hit your local hiking trails, take your two-wheeler out for a spin, or just add a daily walk to your lunch hour.
- Capture your energy
Don’t let all your hard work on the stationery bike go to waste; hook it up to a generator or battery and save it to power household appliances from iPods to televisions and laptops—as Ed does to make toast in the morning on Living with Ed. These kits are simple to install and give you an extra motivational push to make sure you don’t skip your daily workout.
- Join a gym
Gyms use a lot of power, water, energy, and resources to give you an experience that you can get on your own for less. But we know that sometimes there are factors that make it nearly impossible to start your own program—winter blizzards, cramped apartments, and late hours all make working out at home much trickier than hitting the gym on your lunch hour. And we’ll admit, using the machines already manufactured at the gym is better than buying your own (especially if you’re the type to drift away from a workout routine after just a few months). But try to green your gym experience as much as you can: don’t use two towels when one (or zero!) will do, bring a reusable water bottle, and set the treadmill to a higher incline so it uses less energy.
- Team up
Working out with other people is one of the most effective ways to stick with your plan; keeping each other accountable helps you both get fit faster. Finding a jogging partner or a tennis opponent makes it easier to schedule your workouts (and harder to skip them); even better, sign up for a group race or join a larger team to play soccer, softball, volleyball, or any other sport you love. Bonus: The team will likely have a lot of the equipment already, so you can skip buying your own or share.
- Get energized
Fuel your body with fresh, organic food, and skip the processed aisles at the store. Go for organic energy bars that don’t include ingredients like sugar or artificial colors and flavors, and that are made from fruit, nuts, fiber, protein, and natural (not trans) fats. Before you exercise, fuel yourself with a snack that’s high in carbs and low in fat—like pretzels—and drink lots of water. After your session, snack on a combination of carbs and protein to replenish your energy supplies.
- Change your routine
Finding the time to fit in a dedicated exercise session every day isn’t always easy, but replacing sedentary parts of your daily life with activity lets you cross both to-dos off your list at once. Try walking or riding your bike to work (even in the winter) or walking to the supermarket or post office and you’ll save gas while getting a workout.
- Gear up green
If you’re going to make working out a regular part of your life, you might need some gear—even go-anywhere workouts (like yoga) are easier with a mat, and a biking routine is impossible without a bike. But you don’t have to buy all new products: Check the web or your local sporting goods store (or your closet) for deals on used bikes, weights, and other equipment. Eco-friendly yoga mats, which are made of non-PVC materials, are easy to find, and you might be surprised at how good your workout can be two water-filled jugs, a dining room chair, and an old crate.
- Dress appropriately
Serious athletes wear all those fancy fabrics for a reason: They help sweat evaporate before it sets on your skin, they keep you cool, and the shoes are cushioned according to your sport. But there are eco-alternatives, too: sneakers made with recycled rubber soles (just be sure to recycle them when you’re done), tops and pants that combine soy and organic cotton blends, and coconut shells transformed into breathable fabrics. Look for companies with sustainable business practices, like Patagonia, REI, and Nau, and hit the Planet Green Shop when it’s time to gear up.
- Inspire change
If you’ve decided that joining the gym is the best way to go (at least for the winter) you can still encourage your local health club to make some green changes: restrict the use of towels, invest in energy-efficient machines, offer recycling bins for water bottles (or, even better, stop selling them altogether), set up the televisions to shut off when the machines aren’t in use. Some gyms are even harnessing human power to supply energy and reduce bills. Every little bit helps. Then talk to your workout partner about switching indoor workouts for weekend hikes or bike rides; you’ll be able to switch up your routine and get a better workout while making everyone a little greener.
