How is 'plogging', the most ecological sport that comes to Spain?

It is not strange that when we go out to play sports in the open air, we find along the way containers, rubbish and all kinds of waste abandoned in the middle of nature, with all that this implies for the environment. As a result of this unpleasant situation, an initiative arose in Sweden a few years ago that precisely combines commitment to the planet and interest in sport, and does so under the name plogging, arising from the Swedish term plocka upptranslated as pick up, and from English joggingthat is, running or jogging.

This is a fashion that has spread from Stockholm to other countries and which consists of picking up trash while doing sports, a practice that was born with the fever of running but what It is already applied in disciplines such as hiking, cycling, diving or paddle surfing, and that it is managing to rid the sea, the beach, the mountains and even the urban environment of waste.

This movement fitness for the environment is attributed to the Swede Erik Ahlström, who after leaving Åre, his town, to move to Stockholm began to put into practice the exercise of go jogging and pick up trash in the places he frequented.

This small gesture began to attract followers in Sweden until it became a global phenomenon from 2018, when it became popular in other countries, driven mainly through social networks. In Spain there are also more and more followers of this practice.

The defenders of plogging ensure that the combination of both objectives supposes an intense session of physical work, since long journeys are interspersed with squats that require bending down to pick up waste and getting up again to resume walking. This basic glute and leg work can be made even more intense by adding other movements such as jumping jacks or push-ups.

“Taking into account that In Spain some 4 million people go hiking on a regular basis and 33% of the population go jogging more than 3 days a weektake advantage of these outings to practice the plogging during the tour could mean a radical change in the state of our environment in a very short time”, they defend in Plogging Revolution, a website that promotes this lifestyle and even organizes events to practice it in groups.

Among the many tips that revolve around the practice of plogging It includes taking advantage of daily commutes to start collecting waste, organizing short but intense races and, of course, always wearing gloves to protect your hands.