Going green in training is something that we will see a lot of in the coming years, as individuals are looking for easy ways to stay in shape.  These green fitness routines will allow these people to avoid spending large amounts of money on training equipment, while taking advantage of the natural training environments that Mother Nature has provided us with.  By using the following techniques and getting yourself into shape in an environmentally friendly manner, you can help ensure that the outdoors is as beautiful in the future as it is right now.

The first method of training to consider is lifting weights in order to increase your body’s metabolism.  Lifting weights is a green method of training because you are not using electrical machines or chemicals in your quest to lose weight.  One mistake that many people make when exercising is they avoid lifting weights, since they do not believe that these weights are vital to their overall program.  There are reasons, however, why this is not the case, as lifting weights is about more than simply building up your body’s muscle mass.  Lifting weights is actually a very effective way of losing weight because it builds muscle, which will use your body’s calories on a daily basis and that leads to weight loss.

For starters, the majority of Americans take in way too many calories over the course of the day and, therefore, the body ends up with excess at the end of the day.  These calories are what your body uses for energy, but most people only use about 70% of this energy throughout the course of a day.  In addition, as we age, our bodies begin losing muscle mass, which means that we need fewer calories.  In the end, this means that when our muscles begin to deteriorate, which usually begins to occur in our mid 20s, we need fewer calories in order to function.  These excess calories are transformed into body fat, which is why people tend to get heavier as they get older.

What this means is that our bodies need for us to keep our lean body mass at a higher level in order to use up all of the calories that we are taking in each and everyday.  When you diet without weight training in an attempt to lose weight, you are actually eating away at your body’s lean mass, which will make it more difficult for you to burn calories.  This is the problem with only focusing on cardio when you are exercising, as your body cannot get rid of all of the calories that it is taking in when your lean muscle mass gets below a certain point.  Building muscle does not mean that you will have to put on weight, as you will be burning the calories that you need to burn in order to stay healthy, which is a very important part of losing weight.

The question that is usually asked in this situation is what type of weight lifting program is best for those who wish to actually lose weight.  Once again, many people avoid weight training because they believe that it will cause them to gain muscle weight, when this is simply not the case.  The weight lifting program that you end up going with should focus on increasing the size of your muscles.  Women tend to avoid building this muscle, but the fact of the matter is that most women do not have the testosterone to build a significant amount of muscle and, therefore, their bodies will remain very feminine looking.  You will not be doing a bodybuilding training regiment anyway, so this is not something that you have to worry about.

Photo by: Andrey Armyagov -
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The program that you go with should work on the chest, legs, shoulders, arms, legs, and back, but you will only want to lift 2-3 times per week for about an hour.  This is enough time to give your muscles enough of a workout to build lean muscle, but you will not put on a noticeable amount of bulk when doing so.  Make sure that you wait at least 48 hours between sessions, as this will allow your body to heal before you go at it again.  Giving your body this recovery period is vital to the success of your exercise program because this is when your body’s lean muscle mass will increase.

Start off with a lower weight and only lift it 10-12 times to start.  As you get more comfortable with your weight training program, you can gradually increase how much you are lifting and how many repetitions you are doing.  If you are able to stick with your routine on a consistent basis, you will be able to get your body to the point where the weight will easily come off when you exercise because your body’s metabolism will have increased significantly.  This increase in metabolism will give your body the ability to lose weight, which is definitely the first step in this process.

Remember, your body needs this muscle in order to lose weight because it is your muscles that use up many of the calories in your body.  You will also find that you will have more energy if you involved yourself in a weight training routine because these calories will be transferred into energy.  You can complete your weight lifting routine from the comfort of your own home, although many people go to a gym to do so because they find themselves constantly having to buy new dumbbells as they are able to lift more weight.  In the end, it is up to you if you decide to stay at home or head out to do your weight training, although there is nothing better than lifting weights outside on a nice day.

While lifting weights will definitely help you as you prepare an exercise regiment, you cannot simply ignore other portions of this process that will surely assist you when getting into shape and helping out the environment in the process.  By simply implementing a green strategy into your daily routine, you can do a lot of good for not only your body, but for the planet’s ability to sustain itself.  The beauty of developing a green exercise routine is that it is actually very good for your social life.  You will be able to get out there and establish friendships with new people because not only will you be an active person, but you will be an active member of your community through the good you will be doing.

The first way that you can accomplish this is to switch your entire routine to the outdoors.  As was mentioned previously, lifting weights in an outdoor setting can be an extremely rewarding experience and the same can be said for the rest of your routine.  By simply heading outside to exercise, you will begin to appreciate everything that your area has to offer and you will save money on your gym membership as well.  Things like gardening and hiking are two very good ways to stay in shape, while enjoying the natural environment that we have been provided with.  It might surprise you to see gardening listed as a type of workout, but the range of movements and the constant lifting and digging will all go a long way towards keeping you in shape.  Many public areas will also allow you to volunteer with the maintenance process, which will give you a chance to stay in shape, while spending the day improving an area for others to enjoy.  The options are truly endless when you implement these green values into your everyday exercise routine.

Another thing that might be worth checking out is looking for a green gym program.  These types of gyms have been popular in Europe for quite some time now and they are now making their way over to the United States.  These gyms are not built in the form of a traditional gym, but are rather a loosely structured group of people who get together and work out, while also helping out the environment.  In most cases, you will meet up with these people two or three times per week and it will be completely free for you to join.  The idea here is that you are able to get together with some likeminded people and stay in shape at the same time.  Many of these gyms focus on activities like composting or planting trees, which is a great way to restore the planet, while providing physical activities at the same time.  If you do not know of one of these groups in your area, you could also be the one who organizes it, which would bring an entirely new way of staying in shape to your community.

In addition to these green gyms, there are also ways that traditional gyms can do their part for the environment.  One method that is easy for a gym to implement is a simple recycling program.  Many people bring water bottles to the gym and then simply throw them out when they are done.  By putting up a few recycling bins, your gym could easy cut down on the amount of waste that it is producing.  Other environmentally friendly ideas include installing water conserving showerheads into all of the showers and bringing in light bulbs with low wattage.  These are relatively inexpensive options for these gyms to consider, but they will definitely help out in the long run.  Many gyms also have televisions running constantly, so by simply turning these televisions off when they are not in use, a great deal of electricity could be saved.

Gyms are also responsible for a great deal of chemical use, since they must keep their equipment and changing rooms clean.  By using natural cleaning products, these gyms can cut down on the amount of damage they are doing to the environment, which is definitely a good thing.  When you think about it, there are thousands of gyms located all over the country and if each of them would simply switch to all natural cleaners, the amount of environmental damage that could be prevented would be staggering.  It would not hurt you to ask if your gym would consider switching over and if you are able to change the policies at just one gym, you will have done your own little part in this process.  Another thing that you could look into is purchasing organic clothing to work out in, as clothing that is made from natural products produces less waste when it is being fabricated.

Living green and staying in shape can definitely go hand in hand, especially if you make a commitment to making this partnership work.  There is no reason why your workout routine has to stay indoors and use electricity, when there is an entire community out there for you to take advantage of.  By going for a run through the park instead of on the treadmill, you will not only use up less electricity, but you will also gain a new appreciation for your environment.  You might even be able to join a group of likeminded people, who will help motivate you much like you will do for them, as staying healthy and helping the environment are both contagious.  Living healthy and doing your part for the environment are two things that you should definitely take advantage of because the resources are sitting right here for you and all you have to do is use them.

While going green with your workout routine might seem like a dead end battle, especially if you are constantly noticing other people not following your lead, it might help to know that major sporting events are now getting involved with this process.  In fact, the 2010 Winter Olympic Games will be the most environmentally friendly Olympics in history, despite the fact that it caused the Organizing Committee to go well over budget.  This is a very important step in the history of the Olympics because you have to believe that every Olympic committee from here on out will attempt to make their Games even more environmentally friendly than Vancouver’s, which will help spread this message to the world.

The main things that the Vancouver Organizing Committee will do are reduce the amount of water and energy that are being consumed, as well as track all of the excess carbon dioxide that is being released into the city as a result of the Games.  The Committee also hired nothing but companies from within the country to handle their Games based contracts, which allowed them to keep a closer eye on these companies and their environmental practices.  One of the main things that the Committee will be looking at as they evaluate the Games will , environmental stewardship and a reduction of the impact that the Games will have on the environment, so you can see that they are truly serious about making this eco-friendly Olympic Games work out.

Throughout the construction phase of the Olympic venues, all companies had to adhere to environmental regulations, as well as the Olympic Committee’s ethical framework.  The reduction of greenhouse gases was also high on the list, with one of the main attributes being the fact that public transportation will be so ready available.  Anyone who is attending Olympic events in Vancouver will have to take public transportation because there will not be parking in any of these locations.  Events at Whistler will only be accessible by shuttle bus and the city’s LRT system will provide access to the other venues.  All ticket holders will also have free access to these modes of public transportation on the day of their event, which will make it much easier for everyone to get around the city during the games.

While it remains to be seen how successful the final product will be in Vancouver, it is well worth noting that the city has made a serious attempt at reducing the environmental impact that these Games will have.  Making public transportation free for ticket holders is a unique step and enforcing all environmental policies during the building phase should also be recognized.  If this becomes the norm in the Olympic world, Vancouver will have definitely done its job in the entire process and will have made the Olympic Games a more environmentally friendly venture from here on out.

The Vancouver Olympic Committee is definitely trying to do its part to make the world a better place, but it should be noted that there is only a Summer or Winter Olympics every two years, so the impact that these Games can have is minimal in the grand scheme of things.  Because of this, it is vital that sports equipment manufacturers get involved with the entire process, as their products are used by people every day.  What many sporting goods companies are starting to do is incorporate renewable-based chemicals into their products, which makes them much more environmentally friendly.

Brooks Sports, for example, is attempting to incorporate sustainable materials into their footwear and has been successful thus far, as they have found that these renewable-chemicals can actually work better than the chemicals that are usually utilized.  They have now released the first ever high performance green running shoe, which is called Green Silence, and it uses entirely recycled material, in addition to ink that is soy based and water based glue.  These shoes are also relatively affordable, but it remains to be seen if this type of shoe will ever take off from a consumer standpoint.

Another company that has stepped up and is offering renewable materials in their shoes is Mizuno, which has managed to get their renewable percentage as high as 94% in some of their footwear.  This is an incredible number because it means that the shoes are almost completely made from products that are environmentally sustainable for a long time to come.  This phenomenon is not exclusively found in the running shoe sector, however, as Scarpa has developed the Hurricane ski boot, which is made from a similar material to the Mizuno shoes.  This is the first ski boot of this type, so there are a few kinks to be worked out, but it is definitely more sustainable than anything that has been created before.

One problem that these companies are now experiencing, however, is how to market these products to their customers.  It remains to be seen how people will react to “green” running shoes and ski boots, since this is an entirely new technology that is being introduced.  If consumers begin taking the environment more seriously, we might see these renewable products become more common throughout the country.  It will be up to these companies to make consumers believe that these products are truly worth it, however, so coming up with an effective marketing campaign will be vital.

Going green does not have to be difficult and as these examples have shown, it is possible to incorporate green living into your everyday exercise routine.  By getting outside and enjoying the environment, you can learn to appreciate everything that the environment offers us.  If you choose to lift weights in order to get yourself in shape, you can reduce the amount of electricity that you are using, especially if you choose to lift outside.  It might also help to know that you are not along in this process, as Olympic Committees and major shoe manufacturers are also doing their part to help out the environment.  While this partnership between sports and the environment is still in its beginning stages, we are definitely headed in the right direction as we try to make our way of living more sustainable for the future.

Photo by: Andrey Armyagov -
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