Green Fitness
Get in Shape and Save the Planet
People often believe that starting a fitness program requires special equipment. In fact, by consuming less and doing more you will both improve your physique and lessen your impact on the environment. This is because more exertion equals less consumption. Not convinced? Read on.
Walk or Bike
People who walk or ride a bike regularly are in better shape. You don't need to put on workout gear or allot forty-five minutes to do this. Just try using either of these basic methods of transportation the next time you have to go somewhere. Every time you avoid the car, you burn more calories and use less gas. And you’ll see your neighborhood from a fresh new perspective.
Start a Garden
Not only is it good exercise, but you also reap the rewards of fresh, organically grown produce. If you’ve never had a garden, ask your friends who do: you will definitely eat more vegetables, without even trying. Furthermore, when you're living closer to the earth you save on transportation costs. The food grown in your yard doesn’t need to be moved, and that saves large amounts of gas, plastic, and boxes.
Eat Less Meat
It takes more resources to grow meat than grains or vegetables. And the world's population has doubled its consumption of meat per capita in the past fifty years. This is the premise of Marc Bittman's "Rethinking the Meat-Guzzler," which appeared in The New York Times last January. Avoiding meat is both better for your body and the planet. Meat is rich in calories, protein and fat. Eating lower on the food chain means consuming fewer resources and fewer calories.
Hit the Courts, Not the Mall
Tennis, basketball, racquetball... There's also ping-pong, or badminton. These are all fun, viable options to a day at a mall. Think about it: shopping can be dreary. Whether you’re bored silly or fighting not to spend money, you leave drained. A day at the mall often means coming home with something you don’t need or even want, an item that ends up in a landfill. Never mind the energy and resources used to make that merchandise in the first place!
A round of badminton, on the other hand, will leave you invigorated. The game is never the same. From an environmental point of view, you use fewer resources by playing rather than shopping at a mall. All you need is a birdie and a racket.
Quit Smoking
Tobacco depletes nutrients from the soil as it grows. And when you smoke tobacco, it depletes oxygen from your body. Fewer nutrients mean soil erosion, and less oxygen means more cellulite and gray skin.
Is It That Easy?
Yes, it is. It’s just as easy to gain weight as it is to lose it. Similarly, it is just as easy to squander energy and deplete the planet’s resources as it is to save them. When a lot of people make small changes to their daily routines, big transformations happen.
Ride Your Bike
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Take a Walk
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Vegetable Garden
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