First they gave us the best-ever coffee break. Then came the art of living a balanced and happy life. And now those clever Swedes are showing us how to be good to our minds, bodies and the environment in one easy workout. It’s called plogging (a portmanteau of the words “jogging” and plocka upp, Swedish for “pick up”) and means picking up litter while running, aka the most adorable workout we’ve ever heard of (except for animal yoga, that is).
Intrigued? To start plogging, just go for a run like you normally would, making sure to take regular intervals to pick up trash (preferably while squatting to increase the burn). To see the fitness craze in action, check out #plogging on Instagram. (Yes, you will have to carry a plastic bag for trash or recyclables with you.)
In addition to benefiting the planet, this new exercise trend is pretty great for you, too. “Similar to interval training, plogging combines a quick running step for short periods with focused lunges and squats,” explains Swedish nutritionist Frida Harju-Westman. “Interval training boosts endurance and burns more calories during and after a workout than normal running, improving fitness and fat burning for best results.”
Swedish health app Lifesum estimates that the average user burns 288 calories for every 30 minutes spent plogging. Which is pretty much the same number of calories burned while running normally, but trust us: You’ll feel way more virtuous afterward (and isn’t that the real point of exercising, anyway?).
But the main reason to try plogging? After all that hard work, you’ve definitely earned yourself some Swedish meatballs, pancakes and cinnamon buns. Don’t mind if we do.
