The Sustainable Athlete - How To Train Sustainably

Next time you’re planning out your training regimen, why not try to upgrade it to a more sustainable one? By working out in a more sustainable way, you will make a significant step towards protecting our planet. Here are some simple ways that you can make your training a little greener.

Take up yoga

Yoga teaches you to connect with the environment and obtain a deeper appreciation for it, which could translate into understanding why sustainability is so critical to preserving our planet. This type of exercise requires very little equipment and no electricity which makes it a great means of sustainable exercising.

Home workouts

It’s not necessary to visit the gym for a great workout. There are plenty of ways that you can keep fit at home, it just requires the willpower to do so. By investing in some weights and equipment that doesn’t use electricity, you’ll be able to avoid fitness centres and keep to a very small environmental footprint.

Use your legs

Anything that you do on a treadmill or a static bike, you can do outside without wasting electricity. By choosing to cycle, run, and walk outside, you can also enjoy the beautiful sites around you rather than staring at a gym wall.

Choose the open water

Why not swap the pool for the sea, a lake, or a river? Swimming pools require copious amounts of energy to heat, treat and keep clean which means they have an extremely high carbon footprint. An open water source is a much more sustainable way to get your swimming miles in and is far more interesting than just swimming length after length.

Be selective with your gym equipment

If the gym is your favourite place to work out, then why not choose to utilise the equipment that does not waste much electricity? Opt for free-weights rather than machines to keep your environmental impact to a minimum. Another option is to look for a gym that values sustainability and invests in eco-friendly equipment, such as bikes that generate electricity rather than use it.

Incorporate training into your commute

Instead of driving to work and then going to an evening spin class for your daily dose of exercise, use your bike to commute to work. You’ll be working out and saving the planet at the same time… winner!

Support green organisations

Try to sign up for events and races that are run by organisations who are committed to sustainability and making a difference to local communities.

It’s not hard to incorporate some sustainability into your exercise routines. It just takes a little bit of thought and some simple changes which can make a real difference.