Photo: Michael Frank, Woodway

Burning excess calories while generating electricity sounds too good to be true, but that's what Woodway's latest fitness machine is all about. The EcoMill is a manually-powered treadmill that uses zero electricity. The self-sustained machine works by converting your own energy into precious watts, thereby saving a few watts from the grid. The EcoMill's drive system allows you to stay fit without increasing your carbon footprint. I tried it at a recent fitness trade show and found myself powering a generator, which converted the energy into electricity to power the display and the elevation system. Extra energy is stored in the treadmill's battery when it isn't in use.

Clunky? No! It looks sleek, curvy and Jetson-like, but I also expected a non-electric treadmill to feel rough and, well, manual, under my sneakers, but not one bit. In fact, Woodway's patented design incorporates shock-absorbing rubberized slats and smooth-rolling ball bearings to create a less-stressful workout for the lower-body. (These old tired hips thank you, Woodway engineers!)

Loud? No! I thought a manually-powered exercise machine would make crazy-loud noises, but again, the result is an amazingly-quiet treadmill scientifically proven to provide the ideal "softness" to eliminate the harmful shock to connective tissue and muscles. When I questioned Eric Weber, Woodway's sales and marketing director, he explained that the sophisticated curved design is the culmination of years of non-motorized development, but the key ingredient is the near-frictionless drive system, which allows the running belt to move freely.

It's not easy being green during the holiday season, what with all the buying and wrapping, and buying and shipping, and buying and decorating.

But fitness and green living can easily go hand-in-hand. Walking instead of driving, eating local organic foods, and limiting your consumption of resources are easy ways to accomplish both at the same time.

Your favorite health and fitness nuts (who also happen to care about the environment) are sure to love a fit gift that helps them do their part to conserve resources.

Check out the gallery below for a few ideas to get you started!

It's time to decide -- is this a healthy habit that can be realistically worked into day-to-day life?

• Piece of cake! I can definitely work this into my daily routine.
• Not my cup of tea. This is harder than I imagined. Still, I plan to stick with it and do my best.
• Nuts! This seems nearly impossible to keep up. But I'll definitely do it whenever possible.

It's a tie! And here's why: I really enjoyed my week of walking everywhere. I got plenty of fresh air and sunshine, lots of extra exercise, and I saved on fuel and did my share to protect the environment. But I also realize that walking or biking everywhere just isn't practical 100% of the time. We had really great weather all week long, but the cold, rain, and snow are on their way, for one thing.

We also made some sacrifices this week, a few that I'm not willing to make every day. For instance, instead of taking my three-year-old to a tiny tumblers class in a neighboring community, I took her to our neighborhood park instead. Sure, she still had fun and got some exercise, but she also missed out on an opportunity to socialize with other kids her age.

So here's my compromise: WalkScore said our neighborhood was 60% walkable, so 60% of the time (or more), I'm going to do my best to walk or bike. We'll keep walking to school, to neighborhood activities, and to use the nearby business district to fill as many of our needs as possible. That way, when we do climb into our van for something that's a little farther away, I can feel good about the fact we're using it far less than we used to.

Looking for a way to squeeze a little extra fitness into your day? Look no farther than your own backyard.

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Unless you've denounced electricity altogether and no longer use the internet, you've probably already read many of the popular green living tips today -- turn off the water when you brush your teeth, turn down your thermostat, turn off the lights, recycle, etc. But did you know you can also take those green habits to work?

Canadian Living has a few tips to get you started:

• Use fair-trade and organic coffees, and drink them out of your own, washable cup.
• Use refillable pens made from recycled plastic and pencils from sustainably-harvested wood.
• Carry your own lunch and use reusable containers and silverware.
• Put a plant on your desk to improve your office's indoor air quality.
• Turn off your computer at lunch, during meetings, and definitely at the end of the day.
  
  

The next step, getting your boss encourage green habits office-wide!

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As fabulous as we at That's Fit think this blog is, the truth is there are hundreds of wonderful blogs on healthy living to be seen all over the blogosphere. So in this feature, Fit Links, we'll introduce you to some that have caught our eye.

Today is Earth Day, a day to celebrate our Earth and raise awareness about environmentalism. This is the 38th anniversary of the holiday, and the issue of sustainable living has never been more popular ... or more important. Here at That's Fit, we address green living through our Sustainable Community category, so feel free to check out some of our recent posts or to visit some of these popular green living blogs:

No Impact Man
Visualize Whirrled Peas
Little Blog in the Big Woods
Ethicurean
EcoGeek
Treehugger
The Daily Green
Grist
Sustainable Table
Lime

Last but not least, of course, is our very own Green Daily, a daily must-visit for the latest in environmental happenings. Take a minute to check them out!

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An eco-friendly Christmas isn't about finding the perfect recycled wrapping paper or debating with your Uncle Al whether artificial or real Christmas trees are better for the environment. A true "green" Christmas is about creating simpler traditions with less consumption.

Reducing the number of products you buy (that likely the recipient doesn't need) not only reduces the number of raw materials used and pollution created, it will likely lower your stress levels as well. Instead, say the heath gurus over at WebMD, give gifts that create an experience. Think gift certificates for massage, for travel, memberships to zoos or museums, classes, etc. When you do give a gift, get creative and wrap it in items you'd likely recycle anyway (magazines, newspapers) and create a theme between gift and wrapper.

Slowing down, simplifying, reducing, focusing on time -- not money -- spent, these will not only create more meaningful memories for you and your family, but will lighten your footprint on the Earth as well.

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While they were studying pandas in a Chinese wildlife reserve, scientists came upon an interesting finding. Among the human citizens who lived on the reserve, the number of households were increasing far faster than the population. The reason was divorce, and in the reserve, it meant less room and fewer resources for the animals. Thinking they had hit on something, the researchers decided to study the effects of divorce on the environment in 12 different countries.

What they found is this: When divorce splits a family, it means that there are now two households where there used to be one, households that demand resources like heat and lighting. In the U.S. alone, if divorced households combined to be the same size as their former married household, 38.5 million rooms could be eliminated.

It's kind of like emotional carpooling. Of course, you can't stay married just to save the environment, can you? Or can you?

Joking aside, what do you think of this finding?

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As someone who works every day to lower her impact on the planet, sometimes I get a little frustrated. It can seem overwhelming at times, while I recycle every last piece of paper and obsessively turn off lights in the rooms we aren't using. Are we really having any effect? Are we doing enough? I don't know the answer to those questions, but I do believe that as more people contribute in the small and big ways that they can, we'll see a ripple effect.

There are big things you can do to effect change. But for some, those bigger things just aren't realistic. If you still want to do your part, however, you can try one of many smaller lifestyle changes that may help. For instance, you can:

• Lower your water heater thermostat to 120 degrees. It'll be hot enough for you to use, but save you 3 to 5% a year on your energy bill.
• Change the direction of your ceiling fan. Set it to go clockwise in the winter to bring warm air down, and vice versa in the summer. If you don't have a ceiling fan, don't buy one.
• Try to upgrade electronics rather than replace. Electronics are a huge source of waste.
• Turn off your TV and other appliances, but unplug them as well. Appliances can be a drain on electricity even when they aren't turned on.

What about you -- what's your favorite small step toward greener living?

Don't forget to visit Green Daily for more green living tips!

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You know that living a healthy lifestyle is good for your health, and you know that protecting the environment is important too. But did you know that the two don't have to be exclusive? Green living and a healthy lifestyle often go hand-in-hand. In fact, here are nine healthy lifestyle habits that will also let you do your part to conserve energy and lower your impact on the environment.

• Get to work on foot or by bicycle.
• Keep an early bedtime.
• Turn down your thermostat.
• Eat the right kind of fish.
• Switch to CFL light bulbs, but learn how to dispose of them correctly.
• Be wary of "healthy" alternatives.
• Give preference to local foods.
• Only take the medications you need.
• Support green practices in hospitals.

Interested in learning more? Click on the gallery below to find out how these tips can help you live green and clean at the same time. For more tips on green living, be sure to check out our sister blog Green Daily.

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If you're into environmental sustainability, you may be teaching those good habits to your kids (let's hope so). Using recycled paper at home for those coloring and writing projects and using the insides of cereal boxes for finger painting are only a few ways to bestow eco habits to the kids.

These actions may seem odd to your child at first, but it paves the way to giving an explanation why it is everyone's job to help conserve resources in an age when we're overusing many of them.

I mean, how hard is it to toss all glass, plastic and newspaper into a recycling bin? The point is that it is not hard, and you may be showing others how to really contribute to the health of the planet.

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As fabulous as we at That's Fit think this blog is, the truth is there are hundreds of wonderful blogs on healthy living to be seen all over the blogosphere. So in this feature, Fit Links, we'll introduce you to some that have caught our eye.

If you're a parent, then chances are you think about your child's future, and at some point concern over what the Earth will be like when they reach adulthood has probably crossed your mind. It's probably one of the biggest reasons we parents jump onto the green living bandwagon -- we want our kids to have a safe and happy future. Being a green parent not only means that you're contributing to the well-being of our planet, but you're also raising children who learn those same earth-friendly practices from the start.

BabyCenter has 20 tip to be a greener parent, and Mindful Mama is full of ideas on how to raise children with eco-friendly ideals. No Impact Man is in the middle of his own experiment, and since he has a small daughter, parenting comes up often on his blog. And don't forget to check out our new sister blog, Green Daily and their Kids and Parenting category as well. What kinds of things do you do to parent in a greener way?

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If last week's Independence Day celebrations left you feeling patriotic, then consider this: What better way to show your love for your country than by preserving it for future generations? Check out this Global Warming Survival Guide from Time Magazine that offers 51 suggestions for saving the environment. Some are big -- building a "green" house, for instance -- and some are small, like hanging your clothes on a clothesline or changing to compact fluorescent light bulbs.

Other great ideas include:

• recycling your fleece (visit Patagonia to find out how)
• turning off your computer when not in use
• planning a clothes swap with friends to avoid buying new
• letting employees work from home (or close to home) to reduce emissions
• paying your bills online to save paper and gas
• doing an energy audit on your home
• bringing your own bag to the supermarket (an oldie but still a goodie)

Sometimes environmental issues seem overwhelming, but I think that the Global Warming Survival Guide is proof that everyone has a contribution to make, even if it's as small as turning off your computer or tucking a canvas bag in your pocket before you go shopping.

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Whether the 37th anniversary of Earth Day has you planting trees, working in your garden, enjoying (finally!) the arrival of spring, or just having a quiet Sunday morning, here are some tips for making this year your "greenest" yet.

If you pick just one thing off this list to change in your own life, you'll be going a long way toward improving the health of the Earth and it's citizens. For instance, did you know that if every person in America replaced just 5 conventional light bulbs in their home with compact fluorescent bulbs, it would be like taking 8 million cars off the road? (Plus, you'll save money!) Turning off the tap while you brush your teeth, combining errands into one trip, and recycling your newspapers (or switching to reading them online) are all changes you can make that won't impact your life in a big way. If you're interested in bigger changes, however, you can always look into energy alternatives or research green vehicles.

Finally, take some time today to measure your carbon footprint. This one was a shocker for me. I like to think I make a decent effort to reduce my own carbon footprint, but even so, if everyone lived like I did we'd need 4.3 planet Earth's to support us! There are some things I can't change easily (size of my house, my car's gas mileage), but there are many that I can (eat less meat, eat more local foods). Take the quiz and see how you do! Finally, here's a fun way to keep track of your progress as you make green changes to your life.

Happy Earth Day!

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