Green Exercising

Your osteo keeps telling you that the way to stay out of his practice for longer than a month is to get fit and stay fit, but you just can’t afford the gym subscription.
Why not consider a greener alternative to exercise, decrease your carbon footprint whilst saving your pennies, get eco-friendly, get outside!
 
It takes a huge amount of energy and cash to power a regular gym; the equipment, the lighting, the air-conditioning - it all costs. So why not think of some alternative ways to keep fit?

1. Cycle to work
By cycling to work you not only beat the traffic but you will also be getting fit without the effort of dragging yourself to a gym after a hard day at work. Cycling raises the heart rate, helping to prepare you for your day ahead and wipe away the cobwebs after a good nights sleep. By cycling home in the evening you will be able to exercise away the days stresses before reaching the sanctity of your own home.

2. Walk more
Walking is one of the best exercises available. Not only does it require lots of muscle power to push you forward, but it also takes your joints through a large range of movement without causing much stress (unlike running).
Walking is great for people suffering from heart conditions as well as arthritis as the increased activity of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems helps provide increased oxygen (fuel) to all the bodies cells.

3. Exercise outside
Why even consider exercising indoors when its summertime! This is the easiest (and most obvious) way to make your workout more environmentally friendly and cost free. Most outside locations can be turned into a ‘gym’ with a little imagination. Incorporate resistance training into your workout by using your own body weight, why not try pull up’s from tree’s (pick a sturdy branch) or press up’s off steps, and Tricep dips using a park bench. Try roller-blading as an alternative to running or cycling.
If you’re not keen on solo exercise, gather a group of friends and play Rounder’s or cricket. Wimbledon may be over but that is no excuse to stop playing Tennis, mix it up with other racket sports such as Badminton.

4. Find your nearest BTCV Green Gym
BTCV is an environmental charity that has been going since 1959. Ten years ago they set up the ‘Green Gym’, to help encourage volunteers to get involved in conserving their local green areas whilst also helping people to get fit. This alternative work-out not only improves your local environment, it also encourages people of all ages to be physically active. Local groups meet in their local area at least once a week to “get fit” outside by getting involved in conservation and gardening activities with a supervised trainer. So far there are 50 of these ‘Green Gyms’ dotted around the UK and it is free to join. To find a gym near you, log onto the BTVC website and click on the interactive map.

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