I Tried 'Plogging,' The Eco-Friendly Running Trend – And I'll Never Do It Again

"Plogging", with one glove on (not humiliating at all)If you know me, you’ll know I’m not above a fitness trend. I’ve tried “Jeffing,” “Japanese walking,” and even a weekly “Fartlek” session (treadmill-only; sorry, fitness purists). So, when I heard about “plogging,” an eco-friendly jogging trend that originated in Sweden and aims to help the planet while you rack up your weekly mileage, I was all in. According to a plogging site, after all, two million people have been involved in the litter-picking activity; why shouldn’t I become one of them?What is “plogging”?The word is a portmanteau of “plocka upp” (Swedish for “to pick up”) and “jogga” (Swedish for “jog”), and it works exactly as you’d think. As you jog (you can also walk), you collect rubbish from the side of the street. Speaking to The Guardian, keen plogger Anna Christopherson said: “It’s very good for the body to combine running with squatting to lift rubbish.”But I’ll be honest: questions arose as soon as I saw the description. What, I thought – am I meant to lug a rubbish-packed sack with me as I run? It’s not advisable to pick up rubbish with your bare hands. So, I wondered – did “plogging” seriously demand that I wear not only mortifying Lycra, but also Marigolds, while also sloshing litter around?Yes, it seemed. Perhaps this is why ploggers usually travel in packs; it seems like “plogging” in a group would mitigate the humiliation. It might also, for some, provide a welcome relief from the type-A, stat-obsessed runners that too often rule the roost at local running clubs. But I suspected that banging a slimy rubbish bag repeatedly against my leg as I, alone, dashed through the streets of the capital, might make me look more unhinged than sanctimonious (spoiler alert: it did). Worse, I feared it’d mean I half-did two jobs poorly rather than tackling either task fully, as in either a proper jog or an organised litter pick-up.Some slightly confusing rubbish, which was just an abandoned bag of multiple packs of the same crisps; the park I chose, which I might never show my face in againI’d only do it again with a group, but even then, probably notI’ll be upfront: I did not get far with the method. It was simply too embarrassing. I ran about 600m before the overwhelming amount of litter by me (I live on a busy city street, so trash is everywhere; rubbish which is better cleaned by council-appointed litter pickers anyway).That meant I’d have about five seconds of running before I’d stop, then start, then stop again. This is not my favourite adaptation of the “run-walk-run” method, I’ll be honest. Aside from the debilitating shame of it all, I frankly think the method was inefficient.If I really wanted to help get rid of the cigarette butts, discarded takeaway packets, and empty beer cans that hide in my local park’s bushes, I think a designated litter pick would be a much better way to do it; more hands on deck, more specialised equipment, better planning.I suppose I can see the advantage of “plogging” if you live in the countryside – back home in Ireland, I can see myself heading through my local quiet forest with a bin bag to get rid of rubbish nobody would ever otherwise see, never mind collect. I guess it makes more sense as a group, rather than an individual technique, too.But while both picking up litter and getting fit are worth aims, it will take a lot to convince me that “plogging” is the best way to do either.Related...I Swapped 10,000 Steps A Day For 30 Minutes Of 'Japanese Walking' – I've Never Been More ActiveI Tried 'Jeffing' And My Running Pace SkyrocketedI Took My VO2 Max From 'Fair' To 'Excellent' With This Running Plan

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