2023-11-11 11:25:54
The notion of plogging was created in 2016 by the Swede and activist Erik Ahlström, and its term is the result of the association of two words: “plocka upp” meaning picking up in Swedish and “jogging”.
So, as you will have understood, its concept is to practice a sporting activity and, at the same time, to collect the waste encountered along the way.
Discipline more and more popular, many countries are getting started, including France, the United Kingdom, Belgium, the United States and even Quebec.
This new trend is easily explained by the general concern regarding pollution and the possibility of combining business with pleasure.
Faced with the emergence of outdoor leisure activities, playing sports while preserving the planet has become possible!
Plogging, a real sport?
Muscles and cardio are used
Yes, plogging is an unusual practice, however, this in no way prevents it from being considered a sporting activity capable of improving your physical condition.
To do this, it is enough to combine a discipline practiced outdoors with the collection of garbage, particularly plastic.
Easier to achieve when you indulge in running or to the fast walksome also practice it in bike or in rollers.
Thus, you benefit from the benefits of a sport at a moderate pace, and in particular muscle strengthening and improvement of cardiovascular capacity, but also extending your lifespan.
Indeed, a 2015 study demonstrates that joggers running at light and moderate intensity have lower mortality than sedentary people or runners practicing at high intensity.
During a plogging outing, you don’t just run or walk, you also have to bend down and get up, pivot and vary your pace, no part of the body is neglected, you thus maximize your health capital while adopting a zero waste philosophy.
Benefits for your mind and for the planet
Plogging allows you to benefit from all the benefits provided by outdoor activities: natural light, vitamin Dgeneral well-being, reconnection with nature, better quality of sleep, reduction of stress and anxiety, and increase in vitality and energy .
But that’s not all, by picking up trash, you are engaging in public utility activity, which allows strengthen self-esteem.
By collecting garbage in the street, you will certainly be the subject of curious looks, so you have a great opportunity to socialisation.
You then have the opportunity to make passers-by on the street aware of your practice, thus promoting positive social interactions.
By practicing in a group, you also enjoy social benefits thanks to the feeling of belonging to a community.
Finally, you clean up the planet, you make common areas cleaner, you considerably reduce the presence of plastic waste that can be toxic to the environment.
You are simply making the Earth a more pleasant place to live in and there is reason to feel great pride in that.
Alone or in a group, everything is possible
Eco-jogging can be practiced both alone and in groups.
You can very well decide to go out solo for your morning run and take the opportunity to pick up trash, you can also take the opportunity to organize a family sports outing and take this opportunity to educate your children regarding ecology in a fun way with a garbage disposal version rather than treasure hunt.
You can also make one social activity, either to practice with your friends or with strangers you find online.
There are many groups and associations via Facebook and other social networks or on your city’s website.
Plogging is thus an opportunity to to meet new people with people who share your interests.
Indeed, be aware that many town halls are democratizing this practice by organizing plogging events, but that more and more clubs and associations are also offering this activity: the Trail Runner Foundation, the Petits Pédestres, the Meslay Athlé jogging club, the F2R Fun to Run, the Run Eco Team, and many others.
What and where to collect?
There are no rules, any trash is worth picking up.
Between plastic bottles, beer bottles, cans, cigarette butts, packaging of all kinds and paper, you have a vast playing field at your disposal.
Likewise, there is not really a favorite place since, unfortunately, waste is found everywhere.
You can opt for your usual route if you feel comfortable on it and find it convenient because it is near you.
You can also select a specific route to combine garbage collection with a sporting activity and the discovery of new sites.
Whether forests or beaches, the city or the countryside, everything is possible, especially as you are not subject to no geographical restrictions !
Most cities sort garbage, so we recommend that you bring your trash bag and respect a themeon Wednesday focus on plastic and on Sunday on cigarette butts for example.
In this way, you collect garbage while sorting it, thereby maximizing the benefits of your practice.
You can also decide not to select specific trash, just collect whatever you find to go faster.
However, do not forget, at the end, to carry out a selective sorting of your waste and throw them in the bins intended for them.
What equipment is needed?
We advise you to go out with your sports outfit, a good pair of sneakers and a bottle of water and why not your headphones, as you would for a sortie running classic.
Additionally, remember to bring garbage bags (preferably recyclable) and gloves (reusable, eh!), in order to collect garbage.
Indeed, it can always be a little off-putting to fiddle with old trash; the goal of this activity is to make you feel proud, useful and athletic, not to feel disgust.
If you have back pain or don’t like to bend over constantly, you can invest in a waste grabber which will be most useful to you. So, have we convinced you? Are you becoming a diver?
Updated by Emma on: 11/11/2023
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