If you’re looking to increase how eco-friendly your lifestyle is, you might be interested in making your exercise regime greener. Here, Brian Lewis from Powerhouse Fitness offers his advice for reducing the environmental impact of your workouts.
So, you’re well aware that we all need to be doing more to limit the environmental impact of our lifestyles: you take your reusable coffee cup everywhere, haven’t bought a new plastic bag in months, and try your best not to waste food. But, have you considered how you could adapt your exercise regime to make it greener?
Here, I’m going outline some of my top tips for making your workouts more eco-friendly. I’ll cover where you should be working out, what you should be wearing, and even how you should travel to and from your exercise classes. Read on to learn more.
Give single-use plastic water bottles a miss
More than 480 billion plastic drinking bottles were sold in 2016, and this number is expected to grow to over half a trillion by 2020, according to Metro. When you consider the fact that National Geographic estimates 91% of plastic isn’t recycled, it won’t be long before this starts causing some major environmental issues.
We can all do our bit to help prevent this from happening and, if you often buy bottles of water to workout with, switching to a re-usable bottle that you can fill yourself is a great place to start. Not only will this small change help to make your lifestyle much greener, but it will also save you money in the long run!
Spend more time exercising outdoors
While you might feel most comfortable working out indoors, if you use equipment such as a treadmill, exercise bike, or cross trainer, this can use a lot of electricity. So, why not try exercising in your local park instead? Not only will this help to reduce your carbon footprint, but spending more time in a natural setting can do a great deal of good for your physical and mental wellbeing.
You might even find that you enjoy exercising outdoors more than you could have ever hopes. There’s a huge range of activities you can try, from jogging to tennis, and group classes to circuits. Whatever you decide to do, you can be happy in the knowledge that you’re doing your bit for the good of the planet.
Buy your active wear from ethical brands
According to The Industry, despite the fact that an increasing number of UK consumers are recycling their unwanted clothes, 300,000 tonnes still end up in landfills. Plus, fashion’s carbon footprint is still getting bigger thanks to low clothing prices and the growing population. So, when you next need to invest in some new workout clothing, it’s well worth buying from an ethical business that recognises the importance of sustainability.
For example, Catalyst Activewear is a London-based start-up that makes quality clothing, which can take you seamlessly from your yoga mat to your day-to-day adventures. But, it’s also a brand with a conscience: they’ve partnered with the World Land Trust, an international charity that creates protected areas in the most threatened and biologically important habitats on Earth. For every metre of fabric the brand buys, they fund a metre of protected forest in Ecuador and Mexico. So, if you want to help protect the environment with your purchases, buying your workout gear from Catalyst Activewear is a great option.
If you exercise regularly and are looking for ways in which your lifestyle could be greener, it’s worth analysing your workout regime to see what improvements could be made. And, exercising outdoors, buying your clothing from ethical brands, and giving single-use plastic bottles a miss are all great places to start.
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