Given the current economic crisis, having to pay a few hundred dollars a year for a gym membership might be an expense you can do without. That's why experts in Britain are encouraging cash-strapped citizens to ditch the gym in favour of the great outdoors.

Free outdoor conservation sessions are being held across the country, aimed at getting people to do something good for themselves by exercising in the outdoors -- all while doing something good for the environment by volunteering some time to help maintain these 'green gyms.' Think about it -- you're not only burning calories by helping out, you're creating a sustainable workout space for yourself and your neighbours, and you're doing something you can feel good about too.

So far these conservation sessions are a real hit in the UK -- let's hope they come to North America too!

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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!

Today, I made the change. I said "no, thanks" to my grocery store bagger when he offered me paper or plastic and instead allowed my new green totes to shimmy up to my cashier where she promptly handed them over to Mr. Bagger -- who then shared with me a few facts about my eco-bags.

Bagger Boy told me the tote trend makes life a bit hard for baggers because they hold so much darn food. Typically, like foods are stashed together and with plastic, this works well. The bags are small and it's not a big deal to use a pretty good stack of them if necessary (well, it is a big deal, environmentally speaking). But the roomier alternatives often lead to food cramming. Un-like foods sometimes end up together -- think bread with eggs with cereal boxes -- and this is well, problematic, said the guy strategically placing my kids' popsicles with my few crates of strawberries.

Bagger Boy also told me these planet-safe bags aren't doing customers any favors. With the high cost of everything nowadays, people like to believe they're getting a lot for their money. You get a lot with plastic. Not so much with totes -- I have six, for example, and will rarely use that many -- so buyers feel they're getting less for more.

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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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