Eco-Friendly Health and Fitness Tips

With Earth Day a few days away, there's never been a better time to think about ways to green your fitness. Here are ways to tweak your daily habits just a little bit to do your part to reduce, recycle, and reuse.

• Exercise outdoors: Skip the treadmill, stair climber, or stationary bike and go outside. You'll save money, reduce your consumption of energy and materials, and cut back on transportation usage and cost.
• Make meals greener: There are several ways to make mealtime more eco-friendly. Save money and avoid wasteful to-go containers by packing lunch in reusable BPA-free containers; avoid produce that's high in pesticides and buy organic and local produce; and even if you're not a vegetarian, help the environment by cutting back on meat and having meat-free days once or twice a week.
• Choose the right materials: When shopping for fitness gear, look for products made with recycled or renewable materials. Take it a step further and buy from companies that make a point to offset their carbon footprint.
• Use less energy: Reducing how many things you turn on and switch off is a no-brainer, but use Earth Day as an excuse to really unplug. Reducing energy has its health benefits too: taking the stairs is a great way to burn calories, and turning off your computer or TV is a great way to destress and increase social interaction. Try biking to work, and if you can't get outdoors for your workout, rent fitness DVDs from the library.
• DIY fitness gear: Cut way back on materials and production costs by doing it yourself! Make your own hand sanitizer, yoga mat cleaner, and produce wash and turn an old pair of jeans into a yoga mat bag.