If your workouts have been feeling a little stale, look no further than the Swedes, you know, part of the Scandinavian group that made hygge a thing. They have a pretty genius way of mixing things up: plogging.
A combination of the Swedish words for “pick up” and “run,” plogging involves collecting trash while you get your sweat on, raising your heart rate and saving the environment simultaneously. It’s basically like going on a treasure hunt during your workout, except your treasure happens to be dirty plastic bottles and food wrappers.
Going on a run sans trash probably sounds a little more effective, since there aren’t any interruptions, but taking frequent breaks to do a good deed can actually amp up your workout. Metro claims plogging offers some characteristics of interval training, since your bursts of cardio are briefly paused when you reach down to pick up the garbage—AKA a short recovery period—before picking up speed again on the pavement. Furthermore, all that reaching also acts as mobility training, helping you to extend your range of motion.
If you want to get involved with what could possibly be the newest fitness fad, in Sweden and beyond, grab a garbage bag and hit the trails. The incredibly service-centric activity is already growing in popularity (people are using the #plogging hashtag to show off how much garbage they collected during their run). So, go save the world, and hit your mile goals in the process.
Not into plogging? Try these other fitness trends, including immersive cycling in front of a big screen.
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