Top Ways to be Healthy and Eco-Friendly at the Same Time

If you want to improve your health, then you will be pleased to learn that you can do it at the same time as being environmentally friendly. In fact, a healthy lifestyle goes hand-in-hand with one that’s eco-friendly.

The healthier your lifestyle is, the longer your life is probably going to be. People that eat lots of fruit and vegetables, exercise, and generally take their health seriously tend to far outlive people who eat junk and sit around all day doing nothing.

This post will tell you how you can live both an eco-friendly and healthy lifestyle:

Water

Most people drink sugary drinks when they are outdoors. An environmentally-friendly and healthy alternative to the consumption of sugary drinks is to drink more water. Rather than purchasing bottled water, however, you should invest in some collapsible water bottles and a water filter, so that you can fill them up at home and save money on bottled water. A water filter is very important so that you can ensure that you aren’t drinking water that’s contaminated with some of the minerals and contaminants found in ordinary tap water.

Veganism

Veganism involves eating absolutely no animal products. If you take up a vegan diet, then you will only eat plant-based products. A vegan diet can be very healthy, especially if you commit to only eating organic food, too. A lot of people think that vegan diets are unhealthy, but this isn’t true. It can be a little bit more difficult to eat a healthy and filling diet as a vegan, but it is still possible. If you are going to become a vegan, then it’s a good idea to do some research and speak to a nutritionist, so that you can work out how much you need to eat each day.

Recycling

Recycling isn’t necessarily going to make you more healthy, but it is still good for the environment and is something that you can do very easily. Most countries give their citizens recycling bins, which they can put waste in and leave outside their houses to be collected. If your government has not issued you with a recycling bin, then you should collect your plastic and other waste that can be recycled and take it down to your nearest recycling bin. If you have a lot of waste, then you should take individual trips, rather than taking it all at once (to make it easier for yourself).

Exercise

Exercise is a great way of improving your health. If you take up outdoor exercises like running, swimming, and climbing, then you can also develop an appreciation for nature, too. Developing an appreciation for nature will help you to become more concerned about the environment, which will then in turn hopefully lead to you taking up more environmentally-friendly activities, like recycling. Exercise can significantly improve your health, too. If you have lived a somewhat stagnant lifestyle up until this point, then stagger your exercise. If you try to do too much too fast, then you will injure yourself.

Walking

Instead of driving places, walk. Not only does walking significantly boost your health and count towards your recommended 150 minutes of exercise a week, but it also reduces your reliance on cars and public transport. Reducing your reliance on cars will help you to significantly reduce your carbon footprint. Cars are one of the main causes of rising carbon in the atmosphere, not to mention serious pollution which can affect people’s lungs and respiratory systems. Walking, like outdoor exercise, will also help you to appreciate nature more.

Minimalism

A lot of people have far too many belongings. Buying new furniture and clothes can contribute to climate change, affecting the environment negatively. If you want to contribute to the environment positively, then you could consider becoming a minimalist, which means owning as few things as possible. In terms of health benefits, there is research that suggests living in a cluttered house is bad for one’s mental health—as the old adage goes, cluttered house, cluttered mind. The more minimalistic your lifestyle, the better your health will be, and the less harm you will do to the environment.

Thrifting

As mentioned in the previous section, new furniture negatively impacts the environment. If you want to reduce your reliance on brand-new furniture, then why not go thrifting? Thrifting involves buying old furniture from second-hand and thrift shops. As far as your health is concerned, thrifting will help you to save a lot of money. Money can be a catalyst for high stress in some people. If money is stressing you out, then buying things second-hand will help you to save it, which will, in turn, reduce the amount of stress that you are experiencing because of it.

Donations

Donations to second-hand shops and thrift shops can help you to feel better about yourself, which will improve your mental health. Being a more charitable person is very good for one’s mental health. In addition to making you feel good about yourself, donating things will help you to reduce other people’s reliance on brand-new furniture and mass-produced goods. If something you own could have a second life, then make sure that you don’t throw it away. If you just throw things away that could be used again, then you are part of the problem. Make sure to thoroughly clean things before donating them, especially if they need to be restored and are in a bad general condition.

Packaging

Lastly, try to reduce your use of plastic packaging. Reducing your use of plastic packages won’t really do much for your health, but it is good for the environment. If you are ever going to buy plastic goods, then make sure that they are recycled plastic, and make sure that when you are done with them, you recycle them too. It is better to buy non-plastic, biodegradable packages if it is possible. This kind of packaging can be expensive to purchase, though, so if cost is an issue, opt for recycled plastic.

If you care about the environment and your health, then this post’s guidance is worth incorporating into your life. It isn’t hard to live a healthy, environmentally-friendly lifestyle. Taking care of the environment will protect the planet for future generations.