There are new fitness trends and fitness crazes every year. Over the past few years the fitness band and smart watch have been the most popular fitness accessories, and that’s a trend that’s held true for this year too. In terms of fitness crazes, there’s been high intensity interval training (HIIT), hot yoga, and outdoor parkour. But if you’ve tried them all and you’re looking for inspiration when you’re out logging steps, there’s one new eco-friendly trend that may interest you this year: plogging.
What is plogging?
Plogging has been picking up steam since 2016 and is coming to us straight from Sweden. Simply put, it’s a fitness craze where people jog around and pick up plastic litter during their run. Picking up trash helps the environment, but that’s not the only benefit. When you ‘plog’ you’ll be running, lunging, and doing squats while you pick up, so it has many health benefits too.
Start plogging with just the basics
You don’t need much to take part in this fitness craze. To plog all you need is your running gear and a plastic bag. For most people that means a pair of runners and, if you want to get even more out of your plogging, you should add a fitness watch to help you keep track of your route, heart rate, and steps.
A fitness watch like the Fitbit Blaze has built-in GPS so it can track your route and keep your history within the Fitbit app. You can head out and plog your way across different terrain at different times, circling back on your favourite routes to pick up more plastic. The Fitbit Blaze also has PurePulse heart rate monitoring so you know whether or not you’re in the zone when you’re squatting and lunging to grab that water bottle someone tossed away.
I just reviewed the AmazFit Pace Smart Watch and I think it would be a great fitness watch for this environmentally friendly activity. It’s a GPS sports watch with 5 days of battery to keep you plogging without having to stop and recharge. It’s also got a lot of great running plans built in, so while you’ll choose your route depending on where you’ve decided to pick up plastic, your watch will give you motivation and be your built-in fitness coach.
Join a fitness craze that’s also part of a national campaign
The great thing about plogging is that you can run solo and make a difference to the environment all by yourself. If you’d like to join a larger group, just download the Plastic Patrol app. Plastic Patrol is a nationwide campaign to rid our waterways of plastic. You can use the app to map out plastic wherever you run, and you can add photos to alert others to what kind of trash you’re finding when you’re out.
Check out all of the wearable technology that lets you track your steps, route, and heart rate while plogging, and join in on this new fitness craze by following the hashtag #plogging on Instagram.
Main image from foxnews.com
Plogging image from http://www.umgasmagazine.com
