Plogging in the spring

It’s the May

A few weeks my husband asked me if I would like garbage picker upper. He had bought one two years ago when he began walking to strengthen his leg after healing from a break. I thought it was a great idea and agreed. A week later it appeared and off we went.

I had written about plogging back in 2018 when a pandemic was something only epidemiologists and public health educators fretted about. Plogging technically means picking up garbage while jogging, but I’m not a fast runner at the best of times and my knees are creakier. These days I’m into plalking, or walking while garbage picking.

It’s an interesting exercise and also beneficial to the environment. In a scant 30 minutes, we filled a bag. We probably could have added more but I was just getting the hang of the plogger-stick as I now call it.

Plogging is fun exercise: you bend; you carry weight; you stretch. You also practice balance as you walk up and down on uneven ground. Different leg and arm muscles get a work out, You are out in the fresh air and can feel the wind on your face and in your hair.

As the weather gets nicer, we will walk further afield. If you are looking for something that offers physical activity with environmental stewardship, plogging may be the thing for you. As for me, I’m going to find a widget that can help me keep track of how many bags of waste we collect as I aim to increase my daily steps.

Have a safe and happy long weekend! Remember, if you are out in a boat, wear a life jacket (aka PFD). If you choose to drink alcohol or consume edibles, keep your car/boat/ATV keys in your pockets and park yourself in a lawn chair.