How to Become a Green Gym Enthusiast in Five Simple Steps

It’s not easy being green and it’s not easy working out. So combine the two together and you’ve got yourself a rather tricky task on your hands.

If you’re reading this, the chances are that you’re in one camp or the other. You’re either all about living the green life but looking to start working out, or you’re a gym enthusiast that’s looking to become a little more eco-friendly.

The good news is that it’s possible to do both in harmony, and it might even be a little bit easier than you’d first think!

1. Get (and use) a reusable water bottle

One of the absolute simplest and most effective ways that you can become a green gym enthusiast is by getting (and using) a reusable water bottle.

A stainless steel water bottle will soon pay for itself, but it’s not the cost that we’re worried about when trying to become just a little bit greener, but rather the plastic content.

Plastic can take thousands of years to biodegrade, meaning that it takes up valuable landfill space, polluting the natural environment. It also has a huge effect on our oceans with plastic dumped into the oceans, injuring wildlife.

Reducing your plastic use is therefore great for the environment and by getting a reusable, stainless steel water bottle, it’s easy to start making a change.

Picking up something simple such as the Kool 8 water bottle (recently named the top overall water bottle of 2019) is your best shout and you can be safe in the knowledge that you’re purchasing an eco-friendly and socially conscious product.

Not only will you be cutting down on your plastic usage, but you’ll also be able to trust a brand to donate 20% of profits to make a difference in regions that need it most – helping with water, the most basic of necessities.

2. Get outdoors to exercise

Getting back into nature is surprising, one of the ways that you can become a greener exercise fiend.

Avoiding the electrical equipment such as rowing machines or ellipticals isn’t the only energy sapping activity – the overheads of the gym contribute too (lighting etc.).

Staying outdoors and working out in nature can, therefore, minimize your carbon footprint and help you on your way to becoming a little greener.

Get outside, getting jogging running and working out!

3. Use eco-conscious workout clothes

The clothes that you wear are a huge part of your lifestyle and making smart choices about your workout clothes can be a great way to become more eco-friendly and focus on a greener lifestyle.

Companies such as Pact use organic cotton, is Fair Trade Factory Certified and is free from toxic dyes and pesticides. Waterlust is another company dedicated to promoting a greener lifestyle with a focus on protecting and promoting marine science awareness and research.

They avoid the plastic based polyester and opt to make their workout leggings from plastic bottles instead.

It’s not just the smaller, independent brands that making the biggest splash, but the big dogs are leaving their mark too.

Nike and their Grind project are a great example with a focus on reusing materials where possible:

“Shoes that have run their last mile morph into tracks fit for the world’s fastest. Waterbottles make a comeback as kits worn on soccer’s biggest stage. Every product made with NIKE GRIND materials is designed with performance in mind.”

This reusable outlook is incredibly valuable and a great step in the right direction.

4. Support imperfect fruit and vegetables

You may have recently seen a push for imperfect fruits and vegetables on your tv screens and in supermarkets – and believe it or not – it’s for a reason.

If you don’t mind having a slightly bent banana or slightly scuffed carrot, purchasing them may just help you to become a little bit greener. According to the World Resources Institute, 56% of all food wasted in Latin America happens before it even reaches the distribution phase. Why? Because it’s imperfect.

In a region where 70% of all food produced is exported, a farmer could lose up to 20% of their bananas just because they’re not perfect.

Maybe they’re scuffed, bruised, the wrong size, the wrong shape etc. What can we do about this problem? Stop discriminating against fruit and veg!

There’s a number of companies that upcycle these ‘ugly’ fruits and vegetables such as ‘Misfits Market’ where you can have a box of ugly fruit and veg delivered to your home. You’ll pay less than you usually would, save farmers money creating their products and become just a little bit greener in the process. It’s a win-win!

5. Head to an eco-friendly gym

Granted this may only be an option for a small few of us, but heading to an eco-friendly gym may just prove the final piece to the puzzle for becoming a green gym enthusiast.

Terra Hale, in Shepard’s Bush, London is one of the most famous of a new age gym where people power the equipment, not electricity. In a spin class, you won’t be measured in calories, but Watts – seeing how much electricity that you produce with the equipment.

You’re powering the lights above you, the speakers playing the music and the equipment itself in this new-age gym.

Any excess power from a group working a little too hard will go straight back into the grid, so it might not just be your gym that you’re powering, but your neighborhood too.

Granted this does seem like a bit of a novelty and is only heightened by the decor with plants and leaves is seemingly every crevice – but the idea is something that could catch on and make an impact in gyms around the world.

We’re hoping that there’s something that will come of the eco-friendly gym in the near future – human power, here we come!

This guest post comes from Digital Authority Partners, a Chicago creative agency

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