New Exercise Trend Also Helps Environment

 

From VOA Learning¹ English, this is the Health & Lifestyle report.

For some people, walking or running outdoors is a great way to exercise. What may not be so great is seeing trash all over the ground.

Well, some people are doing something about it.

They are plogging!

Which is great.

But what is it?

“Plogging” began in Sweden. The name combines the Swedish word “plocka,” which means to pick up, and the word “jogging,” which means to run slowly.

A Swedish man named Erik Ahlstr?m, started the movement in 2016. On the World Environment Day website, Ahlstr?m says that he moved to Stockholm from a small community in northern Sweden. Each day he would ride his bike to work. He says he became concerned about the amount of trash and litter he saw each day on his way to work. So, he took matters into his own hands. He began picking up the trash.

And that is how plogging was born!

Plogging, by that term, may have officially begun Sweden. But many people who exercise outdoors have been doing this for years.

Take Jeff Horowitz, for example. He is a personal trainer in Washington, D.C. He says that he would often pick up trash while running outside. He even turned it into a game; he would try to pick up the trash without stopping.

“I didn't know it was a thing, really. This is just my personal ethics², where I would go for a run and if I happen to see a piece of garbage [laying] around and it's within reach -- it was a kind of a little test for me to see if I can grab³ it and throw it in a near trash can without stopping. And that way, I thought, it gave me a little exercise and a little focus for my run. And it helped clean up the neighborhood. And then I come to find out that this has become an international movement and there are people all around the world doing this.”

Today, plogging is an official activity, one that is becoming more and more popular.

Exercise while helping⁴ your community

Plogging is equal parts exercise and community service. As Julie Lawson explains, it can also build closer social connections in a community. Lawson works⁵ at Washington, D.C.’s Office of the Clean City.

"When the street looks bad and it's dirty, you're going to feel bad about the neighborhood, about the community. (You) may even feel less safe because of that. So if we're all doing our part and picking it up, it's very easy to help beautify it, help build those social connection. You get to know your neighbors. You get to feel some social responsibility and community feel when you do this."

Plogging can be fun, too. When Dana Allen goes plogging around D.C., she invites her friends. And they make a day of it.

“Sometimes we get groups together on a Saturday or Sunday. We go for run. We pick up some garbage. Then we’ll actually go for brunch⁶ after. We kind of make a little bit of event of it."

Although Allen enjoys plogging, she says she does not do it all the time. When she is training for a serious marathon race, the trash has to wait.

“When I'm training seriously for a marathon, I probably wouldn't be as inclined⁷ to stop regularly - when I'm running - because I'm focusing on a certain goal. But then there are other days, where I'm out and into sort of a more relaxed running and just having fun and that would be a situation where I might be more inclined to do it.”

Cities around the world now hold plogging events. The goal is to spread the idea that littering is not acceptable⁸.

Allen hopes one day there will not be a need for plogging.

"I would just hope people would think twice before dropping a garbage on the ground. We have receptacles … seems on every block. So, it’s easy to put your garbage in the trash cans. I just think people should think about it a little bit more.”

Along with cleaning up the environment, there may be another reason to choose plogging instead of just jogging. You may get a better workout.

One fitness⁹ app, Lifesum, records one hour of plogging as burning 288 calories. Usual jogging burns about 235 calories.

Ready. Set. Plog!

Getting ready to plog is similar to getting ready to jog. Ploggers do some deep knee bends, or squats¹⁰, as well as some balancing exercises.

Then, ploggers do something most regular joggers do not do: They put on protective¹¹ gloves.

"Gloves are important. You want to make sure that this is going to be healthy for you. … You never know what you'll find. It might be broken glass, medical waste."

There are other safety rules for plogging. The main one is to plog in areas where there are not too many other ploggers. This helps to prevent plogging accidents.

Ploggers must always pay attention to those around them. Stopping quickly in front of someone to pick up an empty bag of potato chips, for example, could cause a crash.

And that’s the Health & Lifestyle report. I’m Anna Matteo.

Words in This Story

litter – n. things that have been thrown away and that are lying on the ground in a public place

to take matters into your own hands – idiom : to do something oneself instead of waiting for other people to do something

make a day of it – phrase : spend a whole day to an activity, especially an enjoyable one : also, make a night of it; make a weekend of it; make an event of it

garbage – n. discarded¹² or useless material

brunch – n. a meal usually taken late in the morning that combines a late breakfast and an early lunch

marathon – n. a long-distance race

inclined – adj. having a desire

focus – v. to cause to be concentrated

relaxed – adj. set or being at rest or at ease¹³

calorie – n. a unit of heat used to indicate the amount of energy that foods will produce in the human body

gloves – n. a covering for the hand having separate sections for each of the fingers and the thumb and often extending part way up the arm

1 learning   

n.学问，学识，学习；动词learn的现在分词

参考例句：

• When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时，常会从车上掉下来。
• Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。

2 ethics   

n.伦理学；伦理观，道德标准

参考例句：

• The ethics of his profession don't permit him to do that.他的职业道德不允许他那样做。
• Personal ethics and professional ethics sometimes conflict.个人道德和职业道德有时会相互抵触。

3 grab   

vt./n.攫取，抓取；vi.攫取，抓住(at)

参考例句：

• It is rude to grab a seat.抢占座位是不礼貌的。
• The thief made a grab at my bag but I pushed him away.贼想抢我的手提包，但被我推开了。

4 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

5 works   

n.作品，著作；工厂，活动部件，机件

参考例句：

• We expect writers to produce more and better works.我们期望作家们写出更多更好的作品。
• The novel is regarded as one of the classic works.这篇小说被公认为是最优秀的作品之一。

6 brunch   

n.早午餐

参考例句：

• They eat much the same thing for brunch every day.每天早午餐他们总是吃同样的东西。
• What did you have for your brunch?你早午饭都吃些什么？

7 inclined   

a.有…倾向的

参考例句：

• She was inclined to trust him. 她愿意相信他。
• He inclined towards the speaker to hear more clearly. 他把身体倾向发言人，以便听得更清楚些。

8 acceptable   

adj.可接受的，合意的，受欢迎的

参考例句：

• The terms of the contract are acceptable to us.我们认为这个合同的条件可以接受。
• Air pollution in the city had reached four times the acceptable levels.这座城市的空气污染程度曾高达可接受标准的四倍。

9 fitness   

n.适合，适当，健康，健身

参考例句：

• They're doing exercises to improve their fitness.他们为增强体质而做体操。
• No one questions her fitness for the job.没人怀疑她能胜任这项工作。

10 squats   

n.蹲坐，蹲姿( squat的名词复数 )；被擅自占用的建筑物v.像动物一样蹲下( squat的第三人称单数 )；非法擅自占用（土地或房屋）；为获得其所有权；而占用某片公共用地。

参考例句：

• The square squats in the centre of the city. 广场位于市中心。 来自互联网
• Various squats, lunges, jumps and sprints are incorporated for the humans. 主人们还要进行下蹲、弓步、跳跃和短跑等各项训练。 来自互联网

11 protective   

adj.防护的，保护的

参考例句：

• A mother naturally feels protective towards her children.做母亲的天生要保护自己的孩子。
• We feel safe with a protective device in the house.我们因为家里有了防护装置而感到安全。

12 discarded   

v.丢弃，抛弃( discard的过去式和过去分词 )；不再使用

参考例句：

• The room was littered with discarded newspapers. 房间里到处是乱扔的报纸。
• If the filter has been saturated with motor oil, it should be discarded and replaced. 过滤器如果已被机油浸透，则应丢弃并换上新的。 来自辞典例句

13 ease   

n. 安乐,安逸,悠闲; v. 使...安乐,使...安心,减轻,放松

参考例句：

• His mind was at ease and he felt confident in the future. 他心情舒畅,对前途很有信心。
• You should ease up on the child and stop scolding her. 你应该对那个孩子宽松些,不要再骂她了。