FHITspiration: Isabel

Fhitting Room is painting the world green, thanks to our current FHITspiration, Isabel Jakob. We were so inspired after one of our youngest FHIXers reached out about our use of plastic water bottles in studio. We made the long-awaited switch and decided to ditch plastic bottles and exclusively sell Boxed Water in-studio. Boxed Water is 100% recyclable and refillable and they’ve pledged to plant over 1,000,000 trees in our National Forests.

Meet our incredible FHITspiration Isabel, learn about some of her best eco-friendly tips + products as well as why she loves Fhitting Room:

How long have you been taking classes at Fhitting Room + what keeps you coming back?

I’ve been taking classes for just about 5 years now and setting aside the friendliest, most supportive instructors, I swear the classes are addictive. They are fun, engaging, empowering, challenging (and sometimes exhausting), but never fail to leave me wanting more. One thing I particularly love is being aware of my progress and strength.

What inspired you to reach out to Fhitting Room?

Being a young person in the world today, it is hard to forget that climate change is the greatest threat my generation will face. As I have become more aware of my own environmental impact, I realized that I would be able to make even a small difference if I changed the products I used and the habits I had. But I also realized that there are many businesses around me that might easily be able to understand and change their own environmental impact, and become leaders in lessening their environmental impact as so many people walk through their doors every day.

I reached out to Fhitting Room because it was a place I went to so often, and I noticed that not selling plastic water bottles might be an easy place to start changing their environmental impact. One might think “What could one studio getting rid of plastic water bottles do?” But think of the thousands of fitness studios around the country that sell and use plastic water bottles. We have become so used to the convenience of water bottles being available for purchase, and if Fhitting Room stops selling plastic water bottles, people will hopefully become more conscious of their plastic water bottle consumption. Not only will people become more aware, but the use of plastic water bottles will be decreased. And even if that decrease is minimal, it makes an impact.

What are some other easy lifestyle changes we can make to be more eco-friendly?

I think we have to start by being aware of the products we are consuming, the waste we are creating, the emissions we are releasing. Maybe something you notice is that you are taking your groceries home in a plastic or paper bag, and you are throwing them away the moment you get home. The next time you go to the supermarket, you might take a reusable bag with you, because while paper bags break down faster than plastic bags, the production and transportation of them produce a greater amount of carbon emissions. Another thing you might think about is how you wash your clothes. Washing your clothes in cold water uses significantly less energy than washing them in hot water, and hot water is almost always heated with gas, which produces carbon emissions. The next time you wash your clothes, consider whether washing them in cold water would be fine (it almost always is, unless specified).

The important thing to remember here is that I’m not saying we can never take a single use grocery bag again, or we can never wash our clothes in hot water again. But if you think about how many times you buy groceries every year, how many times you wash your clothes every year, and even a handful of times you chose the more eco friendly action, your choices have an impact.

What is your biggest piece of advice for others trying to live more eco-friendly?

Think locally, act globally- no action you take is too small or insignificant.

Can you share some of your favorite eco-friendly products?

I love using the Guppyfriend Washing Bag to wash my workout clothes. Activewear is made from synthetic fibers, and every time they are washed, they release tiny particles of plastic that end up in our waterways, and we ultimately end up ingesting it when we drink water or eat seafood. When you wash your clothes in the washing bag, the product catches those tiny particles of plastic and prevents them from entering the water.

I also love love love The Unscented Company shampoo and conditioner. It’s a bar, which took some getting used to, but when you think about it, any soap’s main ingredient is water. By using a bar, the product is able to come in a small paper box, rather than a plastic bottle, and you get a more concentrated version of the product, so you use less of it. That, and it’s plant-based and fragrance-free, so easier on the water systems.

If you want to take living FHIT and sustainably one step further you can always purchase one of our stainless steel, reusable water bottles.