It’s spring. FINALLY. I know I’m a couple of weeks late but spring decided to just grace us with its presence! I know that for a lot of you, you’re still not quite ready to get outside, but let’s face it. It’s time. It’s gorgeous here, and I’ve been working hard to make more of my fitness regime “green”. That means eco-friendly workout tips for you so you can “green” your fitness too.
Eco-Friendly Workout Tips
You know, for the planet. And because we all know I’m a sucker for fun fitness gear.
Get Outside
It’s the time of year that you should be using your treadmill or elliptical to hang the laundry. Save some electricity and get outside with me.
With the days warming up, it’s time to move my workouts outdoors…but what do I do with my 2 kids?
Well…here’s a few things that have been working for me:
- Let your kids grab their bikes and scooters while you wog (okay, okay, walk) around the neighborhood.
- Head to a local park and use the playground as your own personal training ground.
- Grab your yoga mat and go outside and let the kids play in the grass while you practice your sun salutations…in the sun.
- Play soccer in the front yard.
Dust Off Your Bike
Do you live close enough that you can bike to work?
Or maybe you just need to put the kids on their bikes and ride them all the way to school. Heck, you could even bike to the gym if you really wanted to!
Whatever you want to do with it. Just get on and peddle away!
Press Play
Instead of driving to the gym, why not put a DVD in?
Y’all know I’m a huge junkie when it comes to at home workouts. You could even take your phone or laptop outside with one of my free barre workouts.
You can easily get your yoga on, do a quick WOD, or even do some interval training and call it a nice sweaty day.
Invest In Earth-Friendly Workout Clothes
Look for workout gear made by companies that use sustainable production practices and support the environment. Barefoot Yoga Co., Patagonia, REI, Lululemon, Nike, and even Reebok are good places to start!
Lots of companies are getting in on the “green” scene-so look not only for sustainable, but also recycled materials and even organic options.
Reusable Water Bottles
This is one of my favorite things. Seriously. I adore my Sigg.
Even Smalls and The Baby have their own. I’m still working to get Ish to drink more water (insert sigh here). Look for a water bottle that is either stainless or created with recycled materials and you’ll be good to go!
Just a little FYI-I prefer stainless because I’m a klutz. I constantly drop my water bottle…and I’ve found (through trial and error) that a Sigg stainless is the only way my water bottles survive. Yup. I’m that bad.
Use Eco-Friendly Gear
If you’re in the hunt for new workout gear, take a bit and do some research. Gaiam makes some awesome eco-friendly products, and I love Barefoot Yoga Co. Jade makes awesome natural rubber yoga mats. Brooks came out with a biodegradable running shoe. You can also check out Craigslist or your local B/S/T pages for gently used workout gear.
I’ve even found some great equipment at Salvation Army. Even though your find may not be outright eco-friendly, you’ll be giving it new life, which is half the battle, right?
Look For Natural Fibers
More and more frequently, companies are creating awesome products using natural fibers such as bamboo.
You can even go a step further and go organic with your workout gear. Pretty cool, if you ask me. You can find some great organic products like towels, yoga mats, and clothes.
Recycle
Done with your running shoes? Save them from the landfill and send them in to Nike’s Reuse-A-Shoe program. The old soles are ground up to create awesome playspaces. From playgrounds to tracks, and even some basketball courts. Pretty awesome, in my opinion.
If you’d like to do even more good, check out Soles4Souls, a program that is doing its part to recycle gently used shoes and help those in poverty.
I’ve been using DVD’s and kind of love it! Can you suggest a good yoga for beginner one?
Yes! The Tara Stiles yoga DVDs are great!
I live in northern Wisconsin where we only get three decent months of lovely weather. The rest is kind of iffy, it starts out nice but wind of Lake Superior can switch and it’ll drop 30 degrees within minutes. So every chance I get, I’m outside with the kids and the stroller. I have to suck in as much Vitamin D as possible when I can otherwise winters are brutal!
I remember that from my time in Michigan!
These are awesome tips! I used to live close enough to work that I could walk, and I miss it dearly!
xo, Caitlin
And Possibly Dinosaurs
That would be awesome! I would love to live somewhere that walking was a viable option
Really good suggestions. I did not know about the Reuse-a-show program. I am so happy to do that over throw away my sneakers!
Thanks
Traci
Right?! I thought they were pretty cool!
This is a fun idea for a list! Some of those would definitely motivate me to exercise 🙂
Awesome!