To try it, simply grab a trash bag and head out for a run.
Keep your eyes peeled for litter, like pieces of plastic, takeout containers, or glass bottles, pick them as you go, and then toss or recycle everything once you get back home. It’s something you can do in a park, on your street, as you run around town — basically anywhere and everywhere litter can be found.
According to Vanessa Liu, a certified fitness trainer and nutritionist, who has tried plogging herself, this trend is popular because it puts a positive spin on how we usually approach exercise. “In the past, people used to think that it had to be miserable, as in you had to sweat and suffer in order for a workout to count,” she tells Bustle. “Nowadays, people are realizing that fitness should be fun, enjoyable, and purposeful.” With that in mind, here are the many benefits of plogging.
Not only does plogging help the environment, it also transforms a typical jog into something that feels brand new. The hunt for litter adds motivation and keeps you going for longer. “And it’s even more motivating when you do it with a group of people because you get a shared sense of purpose and a social element to it,” Liu says. Turn plogging into an adventure or competition to see who can find the most trash, and you won’t even realize you’re exercising.
That said, plogging is also a fantastic workout.
You’re not only jogging,
but you’re incorporating a lot of functional muscle activity,
As you pick up litter, you have to squat, lift, carry, pull, rotate, bend, and balance.
That’s a ton of lower body motion and core work involved.
By using the hips as a hinge, or lunging down to the ground to pick up litter,
you’re working your glutes, hips, hamstrings, and quads.”
Follow Warm 106.9 on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @warm1069