Published on July 3rd, 2013 | by Tara O'Brien

How To Improve Your Waist Line and Your Impact on the World

With school out for summer you may be one of the many teachers or students who finds themselves with free time on their hands. My mother is a teacher, and a few days ago she mentioned that she was worried about becoming lazy without the extra work during her summer holiday. Though this particular summer holiday issue might not affect everyone, many are afraid of the extra pounds associated with the extra television time granted to you during a summer holiday. But here is a little list that will keep you busy during your summer down-time, help care for the planet, and maybe even help you take a few pounds off your waistline.

Start shopping local

When I first moved to a small college town, I didn’t have a car. But luckily the one natural grocery store and a farmers market were both within walking distance, and I realized that I was losing weight more quickly than I ever had before! The food at the farmers markets and natural grocery stores tends to be healthier and less expensive than their counterparts at other big name stores. Not only are you eating healthier by shopping at the farmer’s markets, you are supporting your local economy and getting in some good exercise in by walking around town. You might even make some friend along the way!

Build a garden

This could either be expensive or extremely lucrative depending upon how you go about it. I am personally a favorite or repurposing old wood, like the swing set you never use anymore, to build raised garden beds. From there you can just dig up some forest soil (to avoid putting fertilizer and chemicals in from your lawn) and throw it in the bed. This way you get rid of some clutter, build muscle while creating the beds, and ultimately save money (seeds are cheaper than vegetables and will yield more than a one time trip to the grocery store). Not to mention how much healthier those vegetables will be for you and the environment. Less travel time, just a trip to the backyard then back inside, means no preservatives and an extremely small carbon footprint!

Start recycling

Since you have your new garden you can start using your kitchen scraps as compost, save old milk jugs as garden trowels, and use cardboard as sheet mulch. Taking time to move around, sort trash, and crafting things out of your remnants means there is less time to spend lazing around gaining weight. Not to mention reducing your waste output will always help minimize those landfills.

Earth image from Shutterstock/Rufous