Many people also call millennials “the wellness generation.” They spend more time and money on things they believe can help them achieve their health and wellness goals. Aside from living a healthier lifestyle, millennials also intend to embrace sustainable living.
They know how damaging the usual practices are to the earth. Many of them want to make a difference by living with sustainability in mind. They try to incorporate sustainability in everything they do, even navigating an active lifestyle.
Challenges to Living a Sustainable and Active Lifestyle
But like all good things, there are barriers to living both a sustainable and active lifestyle. For one, there’s the fact that old habits are difficult to change. If you think committing to an active lifestyle is hard work, wait until you add sustainability into the mix.
The following are other challenges one can face when adopting a sustainable and active lifestyle:
Staying Motivated
It is easy to plan and start your new lifestyle. The tricky part is staying committed and motivated to your new endeavor. This is one reason why most people can start living a healthy and sustainable life, only to fail to be consistent after a few months.
Financial Stability
Most people think living a healthy, active, and sustainable lifestyle is costly. Not everyone can afford to buy their exercise equipment, let alone engage in physical activities. Many consumers use their finances as an excuse for skipping the active and sustainable kind of living.
Accessibility
Not everyone has access to free gym equipment. Many don’t live near places that allow them to enjoy an excellent workout outdoors. Some don’t have access to sustainable gear and equipment to support their sustainable active way of life.
Convenience
It is more convenient to pay for a gym membership and hydrate yourself by paying for bottled water than taking your time planning your sustainable workout and bringing along your reusable water bottle. Many will rather take their cars to their workout destination than start their daily grind walking or cycling. The convenience trap makes it so hard for consumers to commit to a sustainable and active lifestyle.
Feelings of Shame
Even if many consumers embrace a more active and sustainable lifestyle, some feel ashamed of making such a commitment. They are afraid of how they will appear in front of their family, friends, and colleagues. They are full of negative thoughts, including how their new lifestyle might affect their work and relationship with others.
Living an Active Lifestyle With Sustainability in Mind
The good news is, there are ways you can manage all these barriers to living active and sustainable living. The first few steps include writing your goals, knowing your motivations, and keeping yourself informed of the best practices. If you are looking for other ways to live a more active and sustainable life, here are a few ideas you can try.
Use Your Passion
Using your passions and interests in life to your advantage will make it easier to embrace sustainability and an active lifestyle. For instance, you always wanted to pursue dirt bike riding. Instead of simply searching whether you need a license for a dirt bike, you can find ways to exercise your passion while reducing your impact on the environment.
You can do this by researching the best places are ride your dirt bike at certain times of the year. Keeping this practice in mind will help reduce your dirt bike riding’s tendency to disturb wildlife during mating seasons.
Do More with Less
The trick to living an active lifestyle the sustainable way is by eradicating your need to use many things each day. For one, doing workouts doesn’t require you to invest in a gym membership or take your car to your workout destination. You can always incorporate exercise into your simple daily tasks and walk or use your bike or roller skates to get to your destination.
Be More Mindful When Making Decisions
One trick to living a sustainable life is by going off autopilot. Take time to make decisions instead of allowing yourself to do things how you usually get them done. For one, walking to the park so you can jog for 30 minutes will give you more time to warm up without the harmful carbon emissions of your car.
Riding a bike instead of using a stationary bike allows you to burn more calories. This is if you choose to use an outdoor bike and push yourself using natural terrains. When you choose a more challenging terrain, this, in a sense, will help you stay more active than simply cycling using a stationary bike.
This list shows that while there are barriers to an active and sustainable lifestyle, there are also more ways you can deal with each one. The key is to retain your motivation. Find ways to push yourself to commit instead of making excuses, and you can live a more satisfying way of life.
