If you’re a fitness enthusiast with a passion for protecting the environment, you may be alarmed by how much waste your protein shakes, yoga mats, and running shoes produce. Signing up for a gym membership can balloon your personal carbon footprint, too, as workout studios require constant heating, lighting, and cooling.
As a climate-conscious fitness buff, you can reduce your carbon footprint and champion environmental sustainability by making a few strategic changes to your current routine. Even simple modifications, like cycling to the gym rather than driving, can dramatically reduce your carbon footprint while improving your cardiovascular health.
Leading a more environmentally sustainable lifestyle can do wonders for your wellbeing, too. Opting for outdoor workouts instead of driving to the gym will help you reconnect with nature while eating locally sourced whole foods can help you sidestep processed foods that are bad for the environment and your health.
Diet
Following a well-balanced diet is crucial if you have serious health-related goals. Whether you just want to lose some weight or aim to run a marathon in the next year, you’ll need to match your exercise routine with a diet that supports your overall health. However, you may be surprised to learn that many of the foods you lean on for muscle building and recovery come at a high environmental cost.
When shopping for groceries, keep an eye out for any products containing a carbon footprint label. These foods have had their carbon impact certified by the Carbon Trust and share key details related to emissions, recycling information, and other certified claims.
If you’re still worried about the impact of your meals, consider switching to a plant-based diet. More elite athletes are switching to plant-based diets thanks to the increased availability of high-protein, tasty options like tofu scramble, seitan, and tempeh.
Supplements
Finding the right supplements for you can meaningfully boost your health and help you achieve your fitness goals. For example, if you’re looking to gain some muscle, supplements like creatine can boost your recovery and help you fight off fatigue during your workouts.
When looking for the right supplements, consider the carbon footprint of the products you’re browsing. For example, if you’re choosing between whey and hemp protein, you may want to opt for the plant protein option. Hemp is environmentally friendly as it requires less land and water compared to whey. Hemp protein also has a complete amino acid profile and is high in dietary fiber — making it the ideal choice if you want to boost your overall health.
If you do pick up a few additional supplements, be sure to dispose of them correctly. Disposing of old vitamins properly is key, as flushing old supplements pollutes the water supply. Similarly, throwing flavored vitamins straight into the trash increases the risk of animals poisoning themselves by eating concentrated doses of pills like iron supplements. Instead, enroll in take-back programs or mix your old vitamins with unappetizing waste like coffee grounds or cat litter.
Low-Impact Workouts
In the grand scheme of things, canceling your gym membership isn’t going to save the world from the climate crisis. However, if you want to cut down your carbon footprint and lead a more sustainable lifestyle, you may want to opt for low-impact, sustainable workouts like:
- Cycling to work
- Nature swimming
- Hiking, jogging, and running
- Outdoor yoga/HIIT classes
If you do decide to take your workout outdoors, be sure to protect yourself against accidents. For example, if you want to go nature swimming, take steps to prevent drowning when swimming in bodies of water. This is crucial, as the recent rise in global temperature has sent more people to rivers and lakes in search of cooling entertainment. Learning how to prevent drowning is particularly important if you’re swimming with children, as drowning is the leading cause of death for children under 4. Learning key skills, like CPR, can save a life and help you work out without fearing for your safety.
You can make your next workout even more sustainable by embracing plogging. Plogging involves picking up trash while jogging and is a great way to clean up your environment while working up a sweat.
Conclusion
Championing environmental sustainability while getting a great workout in can boost your well-being and reduce your carbon footprint. Simple changes, like opting for plant-based products, can support sustainable industries and aid efforts to cut down on land and water waste. Just be sure to stay safe while working up a sweat in nature, as rivers and trails are less predictable than swimming pools and treadmills.
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