How to create a successful Green Workout Plan
You’ve created your healthy lifestyle goals list incorporating a workout plan, but you feel it is insufficient. How about incorporating a workout plan that is perfect for the environment?
The hardest part about exercising is the mental aspect. What stops most of us from going to the gym and working out is our self-doubt, lack of motivation, and belief that we can’t achieve what we want.
Staying fit and healthy is a big part of living a happy life. You could stay perfectly fit by simply walking barefoot on the beach; it doesn’t get greener than that! But for those who like to challenge themselves with new workout routines, there are plenty of ways to ensure that your fitness regimen works within your green lifestyle.
Exercise can improve cognitive function, lower stress levels, and even help you sleep better. But working out isn’t easy to prioritize if you’re anything like me.
Working out is not just about exercise and fitness; it can also benefit the environment. Here are four tips to help you create a green workout plan.
A green workout plan is not difficult.
Let’s review a few points and advice first before diving into creating a workout plan that works. One of the best ways to get a good workout and go green is to get involved with physical projects that help the environment.
- Picking up trash from a large public area (like that beach) can involve a lot of walking, squatting, and lifting.
- Volunteering to help build eco-friendly structures for initiatives like Habitat for Humanity will break a sweat.
- What about working on composting projects or helping install a neighborhood garden? There’s a lot more to working out than lifting weights.
These projects get the heart pumping and the body moving while doing some good for the world.
Workout equipment you may use
If you use workout equipment like a treadmill or a stationary bike, look for products that capture your energy and convert it to electricity. You could power your laptop, charge your phone, or store backup electricity in batteries while working on your fitness goals. Not only will that help offset the cost to you and the planet, but it will also make it easier to convince yourself to get on the treadmill when you just want to relax.
Workout clothing does matter.
Choosing eco-friendly products when you work out is a no-brainer. Organically produced clothing, shoes made of green materials, homemade energy bars that utilize local ingredients, and water you’ve bottled yourself rather than purchased all help reduce your carbon footprint while you workout. You can even find products like eco-friendly yoga mats and weights that are designed for the green athlete.
Stay fit and motivated with a workout partner.
Speaking of athletes, playing a sport is an excellent way to exercise more without adding to the overuse of resources. Consider that most sports, like basketball and football, require only a single ball and maybe a net or two for anywhere from 5 to 20 players. Together you save more resources than if you had separately embarked on your own green workout path. Some sports don’t even need equipment like running races or parkour. And as a bonus, the team environment helps keep you accountable for your fitness goals.
Keeping sustainability in mind when you work out helps you feel good in more ways than one. So how do you create a successful green workout plan? Is there a formula that works every time? Can you lay out the steps and be guaranteed success?
The answer is: partly yes. If you are determined to exercise and make it part of your lifestyle, if you have realistic expectations and work steadily toward those expectations, and if you surround yourself with people who will support and motivate you along the way, then yes—you can create a successful green workout plan.
Here are a few articles you may want to read to complete your plan for a great workout plan.
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