Plogging, coined by skier and trail runner extraordinaire Erik Ahlström, is a mashup of “jogging” and “plocka upp,” Swedish for “pick up.” Swedes are also responsible for “fartlek,” or “speed play,” so it’s safe to say they have the corner on hilariously named exercise trends. In this case, what’s dirty is all the garbage you’ll be picking up on your jog (er, plog). Who ever said exercise can’t benefit the whole community? Plogging could burn 15-30 percent more calories than normal jogging, one exercise metabolism expert told BuzzFeed News. (There’s no official research on plogging. Yet.) “The idea of [plogging] is you’re stooping, bending, twisting, stopping, starting,” University of Montana’s Brent Ruby said. And while you’re bopping it, twisting it, and pulling it, you can get creative (while hopefully not trashing your back). Ploggers recommend incorporating squats or lunges while you reach down to grab bits of trash. When your bags get full, you can even throw in a few bicep and tricep curls. Whatever you do, don’t forget to ‘gram it and hashtag it. Picking up trash is a nice thing to do for your neighborhood, and running is a nice thing to do for your body. So if you want to jump on it, we won’t yuck your yums — get out there and #plog your butt off!
This story was originally published by Grist with the headline Want to pick up litter while jogging? on Jan 16, 2019.