Imagine that you’ve just started out on your journey towards a healthier lifestyle. You go out for a jog. A few minutes away from home, you have to run through garbage and breathe in polluted air that goes above the recommended AQI. In the bargain of trying to get healthy and active, your body has gotten a little more damaged because of an unhealthy environment.
Unhealthy Environment! Does that ring a bell? As per GOQii’s IndiaFit Report 2019, a whooping 9 out of 10 people on Earth breathe highly polluted air and more than 80% of urban dwellers across the world have to endure outdoor pollution that exceeds health standards as per the World Health Organization’s World Global Ambient Air Quality database.
This essentially means that even if you lead a healthy lifestyle by eating the right foods, exercising and getting the required amount of rest, you can still fall prey to illnesses and disease based on the environment you’re living in. This scenario is especially worse in a country like India where pollution levels are at an all-time high!
So how exactly can you keep yourself healthy while helping the environment? The answer lies in taking small steps towards sustainable development. Here are a few things you can do!
1. Take a Walk Anywhere!
Definitely the best exercise known to mankind! Walking helps you shed weight, improves your health and is great for the environment! Why take a vehicle to a walkable distance? You’ll be saving fuel as well as your health! You can even up the pace by jogging or running.
2. Cycle Your Way to Good Health
To cover distances that are too far to walk, there’s nothing like cycling! You’ll be amazed at the amount of fuel you will be saving by riding your bicycle to work. As a plus point, it is a great way to stay in shape and improve your aerobic fitness. If you haven’t yet, try this amazing environmentally friendly mode of transport now!
3. Opt For a Reusable Water Bottle
Bottled water is never a good idea. Given the fact that the chemicals in plastic bottles are not good for your health or the environment. What you drink in a few minutes, lingers in the environment for a thousand years. Instead, opt for an environmentally-friendly reusable stainless-steel bottle. Avoid contributing to the piling loads of plastic bottles and disposable tea/coffee cups.
4. Shower Less
If you love water as much as we do and want your future generations to enjoy the same, cut down on your shower time! While contemplating existential queries for an hour under a warm shower seems like a good idea, you’re wasting an important resource that might get scarce soon! Preserve for the future!
5. Give it Back! Plant a Tree
In your backyard or as a part of a community, you can plant a tree (or several) as a family project. Plants and trees keep you cool and are your natural source of oxygen! It is especially important to do so in a city where pollution levels only keep rising. Having greens around you is never a bad thing.
6. Grow Your Own Food
Do you frequent the supermarket for your food? Well, how about growing your own? Having a small vegetable garden of your own can be quite fruitful! For instance, the vegetables you grow will be fresh, tasty and pesticide/insecticide free. Also, imagine the long hours of exercise you’ll be putting in to grow them! You can also explore micro-greens as an option!
7. Take The Stairs
Give your butt and legs a great workout while saving on power used to run escalators and elevators! Taking the stairs is a great way to get in shape and reduce power usage!
8. Organize a Clean Up Drive
Karma has always been an important part of GOQii and there’s no better way to give back to nature all the good things it provides than cleaning it up! While out on a walk or run in your park or locality, keep a grocery bag handy and pick the mess you find along the way. You’ll be a lot fitter and will feel more productive.
To add to it, your park or locality will be a lot cleaner thanks to your efforts. You can take this a step ahead and organize a clean-up drive at a nearby beach, park or community.
Every small step towards a greener, cleaner and healthier future helps! As Captain Planet once said, “Reduce. Reuse. Recycle! The power is yours!”
#BeTheForce
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