Do you enjoy running? Of course, you do. Do you want to make the area you live cleaner and safer? Again of course you do. Have you heard of Plogging? Maybe not. Welcome to the future of multi-task exercise, this growing trend of plogging has captured the imagination of thousands around the world and might be exactly what you want to start the New Year off right.
What is Plogging?
Plogging, a combination of jogging and the Swedish term ‘plocka upp’ meaning ‘pick up’ is now not only a Scandinavian tradition, people all around the world have started to buy into the idea and are looking at improving the environment while also providing a full body workout in the process. Picking up rubbish while jogging looks strange however provides a necessary, community component which everyone can benefit from.
Why is it Important?
Plogging has its routes based around 2016 and the need to be more environmentally conscious is only increasing to grow, there are 5.25 trillion pieces of plastic trash currently existing in the oceans which is equivalent to a bin lorry dropping its entire waste capacity on to the beach every minute and plastic levels in the ocean are causing significant long-term damage not only to the world and the ozone layer but the chemical run-off from these products are causing damage not just to the marine life who inhabit the oceans and lakes but also mammals and sea birds that come into contact with it.
Plastics and the effects of these are secondary for humans however these chemicals can cause seafood and sea salt to be more dangerous and toxic as a result due to this chemical run-off these products produce. However, we have all been for a run and seen plastic bags and bottles strewn on the ground and in bushes and it makes you wonder ‘why would someone do that’ the carelessness of the act making your local area look less appealing and more dangerous especially to young kids in the community.
What Do I Need?
The main attraction of plogging is the simplicity to take part all you need is your running clothes and a black bin bag. The act of plogging as stated above is not just about picking up litter and recyclables, plogging has been known to provide a full body exercise through the movements needed, the act of picking up the rubbish (squatting) along with running with the black bag will provide a health benefit through running with a weight, then at the end of the run all you need to do is appropriately dispose of the waste.
If you want to see the fantastic work which is being done in Paris to clean the streets you can visit the PloggingFrance Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ploggingfrance/ , the act of plogging is simple yet can make a big difference to the quality of life of future generations. Next time you go for a run, grab a few friends, a few black bags (or even purple like the fab team from Notts Women Runners shown in the picture below) and make a change where you live.
