HOW TO MAKE YOUR WORKOUT PLASTIC FREE
When we are working out, we are aiming to make ourselves healthier, right? Well why make a couple of small changes to reduce plastic and help make our environment a little healthier at the same time too?
Avoid plastic water bottles
The simplest place to start is with your water bottle. Invest in a reusable bottle, that is BPA free, to get you through your workouts instead of buying your water in a disposable plastic bottle on your way to your workout. All our YMCA Health & Fitness Centres have water fountains where you can easily refill your reusable water bottle.
Soon, it will cost you more to use single-use plastic bottles. A new scheme to encourage people to recycle bottles is soon to be introduced across England. You will have to pay a small deposit when you buy drinks in bottles, which yes, you will get back if you return the container but it will make the simply lazy habit of buying bottled water a little more expensive.
So what can you do if you want water when you are on the go? Well, there are many shops and businesses across the Fylde coast offering free water refills. Learn more about the scheme and the locations of your nearest refill station by clicking here.
Ditch plastic bags
You have done it in the supermarket, now do it in the gym! Get yourself a cotton or mesh bag for your sweaty kit, as using one of these will easily reduce plastic use. The best part is that your kit wont sweat in the same way as it would do inside a plastic bag (No one enjoys that humming sweat smell!). Plus, when you get home you can chuck the bag into the wash along with your kit to keep everything fresh!
Wear eco-friendly workout kit
Yes it may be tempting to buy cheaper gym kit, after all it gets sweaty and worn so why waste money investing in expensive pieces? However, there are lots of affordable eco-friendly brands out there. Activewear brand Sundried gives a new lease of life to plastic bottles, recycling them and turning them into brand spanking new gym wear, while H&M’s Conscious collection of stylish but sustainable sportswear is predominantly made using recycled polyester and elastane. Here are a couple other eco-friendly brands:
- Patagonia, they only use eco-friendly and sustainable fabrics and materials like organic cotton; merino wool; as well as recycled polyester; wool; nylon and cotton. They also try to minimize the use of dye, to help reduce toxic waste. Today, it is one of the brands that cares the most about the environment and wilderness – worldwide.
- No Balls, they offer a female only range suitable for running, cycling, the gym, yoga, yoga, pilates, training, triathlon and aerobics. Their products are manufactured using bamboo fibre which is very eco-friendly as it is a prolific plant and grows in adverse conditions, requiring a fraction of the water to thrive than plants like cotton. It is also robust and naturally organic in that it does not require pesticides or fertilizers.
- Under Armour, they meet much of their power demand through green energy and many of their clothes, shoes and hats are actually made out of recycled plastic!
Avoid straws with shakes and smoothies
Are you someone that drinks a lot of shakes or smoothies pre and post workout through a straw? If you are then investing in a reusable straw is a must! Think about it, you use it for a few minutes supping a smoothie or shoving in protein shake. Yet, the straw itself takes over 200 years to break down and when they do, the tiny plastic microparticles end up everywhere from our food chain to our tap water.
