How to Ecoize Your Exercise Routine
Tip #6: If you join a gym, consider encouraging the health club to adopt greener practices like setting up a recycling program or installing low-flow shower heads and faucet aerators in the restrooms. Photo: Flickr/hotelcasavelas2
4. Dress up to work out
Who needs to spend $100 on brand-new Lululemon yoga pants?
The most eco- and budget-friendly clothing for your exercise routine is actually items already in your closet. Those T-shirts and sweatshirts you’ve collected from work events and conventions make perfect workout clothes, whether you’re headed to the gym or outside for a hike.
You can also browse your local thrift stores for new-to-you fitness gear at discount prices. Or check out Patgonia’s storefront on eBay, where you can buy and sell the company’s outdoor apparel secondhand.
When shopping for new workout clothes, look for pieces made from sustainable materials like Atayne’s line of athletic apparel made from recycled plastic bottles, textiles and shoes or Gaiam’s fitness wear made of natural materials including bamboo-based rayon, organic cotton and cotton-soybean blends.
READ: Patagonia Says ‘Don’t Buy This Jacket’
5. Go for a run, pick up trash
Whether you just took up running or you’re a seasoned marathon runner, try this new eco-friendly trend that’s taking the sprinting world by storm: trash running.
How does trash running work? It’s simple: A group of trash runners set off on their course, trash bags in hand, and make quick stops to pick up litter while enjoying their jog. Check out Atayne’s trash runners’ webpage to find a trash runner group near you, or start your own local group.
SEE: PHOTOS: 1 Beach, Litter from 42 Countries
6. Green your gym
While your greenest workout option may be avoiding your car and getting outside, a gym membership isn’t entirely eco-unfriendly: It’s always more sustainable to share gym equipment with others than buy your own gear for your home.
Whatever drives you to join a local health club – whether it’s your area’s weather or your personal fitness goals – consider encouraging your gym to adopt a few greener practices. For examples, the gym can set up a recycling program, replace broken machines with energy-efficient ones, put in low-flow shower heads and faucet aerators in the restrooms and install a water foundation so members can refill their water bottles.
READ: Gym Uses Indoor Cycling Classes to Generate Power
