{"id":575927,"date":"2010-05-23T07:23:06","date_gmt":"2010-05-23T11:23:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/climateprogress.org\/?p=25307"},"modified":"2010-05-23T07:23:06","modified_gmt":"2010-05-23T11:23:06","slug":"good-for-your-buns-good-for-the-environment-plus-exercise-bikes-that-turn-human-power-into-electricity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/575927","title":{"rendered":"Good for your buns, good for the environment – Plus exercise bikes that turn human power into electricity"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summer is right around the corner. This means that the time to make good on that New Year\u2019s resolution to get in shape for the summer is upon us. But while planning your routine to achieve those killer glutes and abs, don\u2019t forget about the effect your workout has on the environment. This CAP repost<\/a> has some simple tips to keep getting fit earth friendly,\u00a0 including how you can generate clean electricity during your workout.<\/p>\n

<\/span>First of all, the great outdoors has some of the most energy efficient\u2014and simple\u2014workouts nature has to offer. Walking or jogging outside requires little waste-producing equipment other than running shoes, and saves precious CO2 compared to a treadmill workout, which uses two pounds<\/a> of the stuff for a 30-minute run. And if hitting the pavement for half an hour sounds like a drag, combine a brisk jog to the supermarket with a stroll back home while toting your purchases for a workout that gets your heart rate up and helps tone your arms. Gardening, biking, and hiking also offer excellent opportunities for a zero-emission outdoors workout, and plenty of traditional exercises\u2014jumping rope, squats, and pushups, to name a few\u2014are easy to take outside as well.<\/p>\n

If you need a little more structure for your exercise plan, consider joining a gym over buying a home cardio machine, which produces extra waste and gets used less over its lifetime compared to gym machines that are constantly in use. Gyms use lots of electricity to power their machines, air conditioning, and lights, but eco-friendly ones are becoming more and more common. Look for a gym that uses energy efficient equipment, such as treadmills that use about one-third less energy<\/a> than traditional ones, and lights and televisions that are turned on only when needed. Using refillable water bottles and your own towel to wipe down equipment, rather than single-use disposable ones, can also help keep waste down.<\/p>\n

Some gyms take energy efficiency a step further. The Green Microgym<\/a> in Portland, Oregon, generates as much as 36 percent of its energy from solar panels and human-powered generators attached to stationary bikes and ellipticals. The Portland gym saved 37,000 kilowatt-hours<\/a> in 2009 through its use of human and solar power and other energy-saving measures. If you prefer to keep your workout at home, and you\u2019re feeling extra crafty, you can even build your own human-powered generator<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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A vigorous workout will produce\u00a0 on average of 50 Watts of\u00a0 clean electricity<\/em>.\u00a0\u00a0 You can also build your own:<\/p>\n

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Whether you decide to workout at home or at the gym, choosing eco-friendly gear is a must. Hit up Craigslist or a garage sale for gently used bikes, free weights, or other equipment. Shop around for yoga or exercise mats made of non-PVC material, and look for breathable workout clothes made from organic soy or cotton blends, and recycled rubber-soled shoes.<\/p>\n

This is reposted<\/a> from CAP<\/em>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Summer is right around the corner. This means that the time to make good on that New Year\u2019s resolution to get in shape for the summer is upon us. But while planning your routine to achieve those killer glutes and abs, don\u2019t forget about the effect your workout has on the environment. This CAP repost […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":106,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-575927","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/575927","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/106"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=575927"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/575927\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=575927"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=575927"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=575927"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}