If you like jogging by the bylanes of your city, the park in your colony or by the beachside but get repulsed by the litter and debris strewn around, you could consider taking up ‘plogging’.

Plogging, derived from the Swedish word ‘plocka upp’ or pick up is the latest fitness trend, that is taking environment-conscious, fitness-enthusiasts in India by storm. A Swedish fitness workout, it is a combination of jogging and picking up trash along the route, to keep both yourself and the environment healthy. 

Started by Swedish based jogger, Eric Ahlström in 2016, plogging gained immense popularity among environmentalists and joggers alike. In an interview to www.unenvironment.org, Eric Ahlström explained how he felt frustrated with the litter around while riding his bike to his workplace daily.

“I was shocked by the amount of junk there was in nature,” says Ahlström. The same debris could remain in the road without anyone picking it up, so I started picking it up. It felt good in my heart to clean up even a small place.”

Eric started a website explaining the purpose of plogging and it garnered a great response from across 40 countries in no time.

How To Get Started With Plogging

It’s simple and it’s easy. All you need is an easy to carry trash bag.

Just pick up litter as you jog. Make sure you distribute the weight of trash bag between both hands.

If you are plogging on a beach, make sure to do stretches to avoid cramps in your calves.

Always squat to pick up trash, bending will make your back hurt.

Be mindful of your surroundings, follow traffic rules to avoid accidents.

Health Benefits of Plogging:

Benefits The Lower Body:

Plogging involves a lot of running and regular squatting. Even as you squat down to pick up the trash, you will learn how to balance your lower body with weight in both hands.

More Jogging:

The process of decluttering the surroundings is intensely satisfying and you may end up running more miles than you usually do. Adding weight to the bags helps you burn more calories.

Burns Calories:

According to the data available, a 30-minute plogging can help you burn a whopping amount of 288 calories, contributing both to your fitness and weight loss.

Reduces Risk of Diseases:

Regular plogging has many positive effects on the health. Since it involves intense activity, it promotes cardiovascular health, reduces blood pressure, provides better supply of oxygen, prevents sudden spike in blood sugar.

It’s Empowering:

Cleaner environment sends positive signals to the brain and keeps us infection free. Creating greener, cleaner surroundings could be empowering and it eventually improves our own health along with the people in your local community.