Plogging for You and the Planet
Plogging is a word to describe the action of going out for a jog (or a walk or run) and picking up litter along the way. If you do this, you can get your exercise for the day and at the same time clean up the neighborhood you workout in! At first, I imagined that my workout would be less effective because I'm stopping so often to pick up trash. I realized that by doing a perfectly executed squat to pickup trash the workout became enhanced! Even more when I tried to do the squat as quickly as possible.
My collection after 10 minutes and more than 1,000 steps (I didn't count the number of squats).
If you are going to go out plogging, wear a pair of gloves and bring a bag that you can collect your trash in. Wear your normal walking or running gear like bright colors and sensible shoes and socks. Don't forget your steps tracker!
My first time out, I focused on grabbing larger things like plastic bottles, paper, and parts from a car (it's true! I found pieces of plastic that must have been leftover from a small car accident). The next time I go out I'll focus on smaller things like cigarettes and food wrappers. Having a focus helps to keep you moving rather than spending so much time in one place trying to pick up everything.
This might be one of those activities that we really need to encourage each other because I'm sure I looked silly doing it. Like this post, comment below, like comments, and cheer your colleagues that go for it! I am looking forward to hearing from anyone else that tries plogging.