thePULSEBy Sarah Deschene
It’s no surprise to anybody that going green and getting healthy go hand in hand. We are finally starting to realize as a society that making choices that are good for the environment is actually better for US as well! Anything that is living lives better without chemicals and pollution. SHOCKING, isn’t it?
So let’s take it a step further and add fitness into the equation. Sadly, eating organics and cutting out processed foods may be the healthy thing to do, but that in itself does not make us fit…or even healthy (we could eat organic mac and cheese all day with some organic fruit snacks for dessert and be quite far from fit OR healthy). Eating a balanced diet of organic fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and a healthy source of protein will get you nutritionally healthy, but certainly not fit. Exercise has to factor in there somehow ~ so my challenge to you is whether you can eat healthy, add in exercise, AND make some changes to protect our environment!
To all of you folks who get yourselves to the gym everyday for your workout ~ good for you! It takes a lot to commit to an exercise routine. So you get in your car each day, drive to the gym and hit the treadmill. Most of us live or work within a few miles from our gym. So instead of using the car, how this: throw on a hat and some mittens (hey, maybe Mother Nature will cooperate and throw some warmer days our way this month ~ you never know!), get your butt out onto the street, and start running! Hit the weights when you get to the gym, and jog back to the office or your house. Bam, you got your cardio and strength training done while saving gas money, plus you’ve spared our planet and lungs all those vehicle emissions. And now you have a whole lot more to feel good about.
If ditching the car sounds like too much of a chore, remember that, just like with everything else that can make a positive difference, it takes discipline and hard work. So encourage the gym you work out at to sponsor a program that encourages people to jog or bike to the gym. Start a competition and track your miles. Enlist some of your workout pals to join you and suddenly the “chore” turns into something fun.
Some people say to start small ~ make little changes and build upon them. You will not hear this advice from me. You work out and eat healthy for one reason: to see results. It doesn’t matter if the result you want to achieve is to increase your energy, lose 20 pounds, or compete in a body building competition. You want results, and results = hard work (that’s right, kids, easy doesn’t work). So buck up, set your mind to making some changes, and do our environment ~ and yourselves ~ a favor. Put on a hat, go outside, walk right past your car, and hit the pavement!
