5 Ways to Green Your Workout

Inspired by eco-minded Olympians? Add a little green action to your next workout session with these tips:

1. Use your muscles en route. Instead of driving to the gym, walk (or jog or bike) there. If it’s too far, drive just part of the way and complete the journey under your own power. Improve your fitness by parking farther and farther away each time.
2. BYOB. Bring your own bottle and fill it at the tap.
3. Share your soles. Recycle your used athletic shoes, or donate them to a clothing drive. Nike's Reuse-A-Shoe program turns old shoes into new courts.
   
4. Take short showers. Just because it’s not your water bill doesn’t mean it’s not our water.
5. Speak up. Encourage your gym’s management to take measures to reduce waste, such as turning off lights in vacant rooms, shutting off the sauna/steam room/hot tub at night, minimizing use of the heater and air conditioner, and installing recycling bins.

-- David Ferris

Comments

[Rebecca Haden]

I like your eco-athletes series! There's a terrific level of creativity here.

[Catherine Sheehan]

You didn't tell us how to find Recycle Roundup games for kids in the latest issue.

[Stephen]

This might not fly with gym managers in the crowd, but home gyms or some variation is the greenest in that there is no pollution produced through travel, and more efficient in that no time is lost through commuting.

[Christiana Drapkin]

Hook up a dynamo to those spinning bikes and treadmills! It will be literally em-powering to generate our own a/c and lights. And maybe we'll take this simple technology back into our own homes and think about more self-sufficiency.

[rdlong]

1. why go to a gym? plenty of ways to workout without being a member (though I suppose the social side can be a plus).
2. don't use workout machines that run on electricity (like treadmills).
3. commute to work by bicycle. Get double value for the time you spend.

[David]

For years I have been using homemade exercise equipment: old bike inner tubes for resistance exercises and plastic bags to learn how to juggle. Both of my books (one for older adults and one for kids) are now out of print but I have posted the exercises for older adults online at:
http://www.unomaha.edu/~healthed/RE.html
To view my appearance about homemade fitness equipment on David Letterman back in 1991 visit:
http://members.cox.net/dcorbin/Corblet.mov
(It may take a few minutes to download).

[Barry]

Can someone please set up a link to explain how to set up a dynamo?? I am very interested!! Thanks!

[GreenYoga]

1. If yoga is part of your workout, be sure to practice on a mat that is not made of PVC, which contain dangerous chemicals such as phtalates and are dangerous in their production.
2. If yoga is not part of your workout, try it. The practice is a natural system that awakens and feeds your connection to all life and to the elements that support life.
http://www.greenyoga.org

[Patrick McCandless]

Scout out the different pieces of furniture and other natural features in your house that can look like they could double as a piece of workout equipment. These things being dining-room chairs, stairs, stools, or even just a nice open space to perform exercises comfortably. Next, find all of the things that can be used for weighted hand-held pieces of equipment like water bottles, candles, etc. I know this might sound weird, but hear me out. Now, you just need to use your imagination and put those features that you wrote down together. For example, you can do a lunge with an overhead press (with the bottles in your hands), squats/arm curl combos, shadow boxing with the bottles in hand, dips on a chair, and the list goes on. Just be flexible, do whatever comes to mind, and move from one exercise to the next with minimal amount of rest. You will get your heart rate up in no time and won't be given a chance to get bored. If you can't think of another exercise right away do something like run in place or jumping jacks while you think of another one. Quick workouts like this still release those feel-good hormones like serotonin, making it a great way to relieve stress, keep you level, be eco friendly, and burn some extra calories all for a half-hour of your time. Patrick McCandless, CFT, EMT-P www.MACFitnessOnline.com

[zap Louisiana]

Dont do it!You are exspelling co2 in the atmosphere more than everyone else the liberal nazi will get you and tax your workout,