Step into a gym and aside from the smell of a combination of sweat and chlorine, chances are, there is a familiar, light buzzing in the air; a sound stemming from the myriad of gym equipment in constant use.

The amount of energy pumped into running a gym undoubtedly exceeds the amount of energy of pumping iron. The combination of treadmills, elliptical trainers, and stationary bicycles is only the beginning. Most gyms now offer weight machines with attached, electronic training devices to track your progress, as well as spinning classes with classes running constantly.

But it goes on. Music often is playing, in the gym, in the changerooms, in the lobby, and during various classes. Computers are running to track membership information. The changerooms are equipped with showers, saunas and blowdryers. Many gyms now offer extra services, various aesthetics, and tanning beds.

Premier Fitness, for example, boasts that each club is outfitted with as many as “10 to 20 pieces of apparatus for each body part” and that “A member can easily use a different type of equipment for each body part for a month before having to reuse it again.” Each locker room there includes a eucalyptus steam room to “open their pores” and “detoxify their skin.”

This, obviously, beats going home and placing their face over the kettle while making a tea.

Now, this is not to say that Premier Fitness is a poor choice for a gym – it is not unlike others that offer the same extras. But frankly, the energy used in one fitness club – that of a chain – surely isn’t doing the environment any good.

Moving forward

French inventor Lucien Gambarota and entrepreneur Doug Woodring have joined forces with Hong Kong’s California Fitness to develop the greenest of gyms, where the exercisers covert their energy to power lighting fixtures, with excess stored in a battery for later use, using a “Powered by YOU” program. (read more)

Moving backwards

Although the idea of a green gym is far more sustainable than its energy-draining alternatives, foregoing the club is just as productive – and simple. If we think back, what did we do before treadmills made their way into our homes, and gym membership representatives “cut us a really good deal?”

We used our legs.

A concept that we’ve seem to have forgotten about, how we can move from place to place simply by placing one foot in front of the other. Whether running, jogging, or walking, it’s a form of transportation and fitness all rolled into one, and doesn’t cost you a dime – except for some good running shoes.

The benefits of running are obvious, from decreases in body fat, triglyceride levels and risks of heart disease to an increase in HDL cholesterol (the good kind). Those who have high blood pressure can see a reduction of about 50%. As you get more fit, your heart doesn’t have to work as hard, and your body works more efficiently. And, as a side note, you’ll look better, too.

Think you can’t get started? Yes, you can. The best way to get out there is to take hold of the Couch to 5km Running Plan, designed for those who don’t think they can do it, aren’t motivated, or are in terrible shape.

Running outdoors will cost you less than a gym membership, use less electrical energy in your home, and bring you closer to nature.

Images courtesy of allaboutrunning.net

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