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!

Taking care of our personal health is always a priority, and now taking care of the planet's health is a growing one too it so seems only natural to combine the two.

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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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The environment, global warming, and going green are all things that are becoming more and more embedded in our every day lives, which is of course a good thing. We can all be a little more conscious in our global efforts, and even if it's just making the smallest change the great part is that it multiplies across the population and can end up really making a difference. I thought for today's Jumpstart I'd take the idea that sometimes all your stalled workout needs is something new in the way of clothes or equipment to help make it interesting again, and going eco-friendly is the perfect excuse to help soothe that pang of guilt that's been holding you back.

Of course there are countless products out there to choose from in the green fitness world, and thankfully the options are only increasing. So what is it that would make the biggest difference for you and your workout right now? Maybe it's a new top, new shoes, or something else? Here's a few things I found online to help get the wheels of inspiration turning!