Why not try “progging”? It has double the benefits!Have you ever heard of “plogging”? It’s a Swedish activity that combines jogging and picking up litter. It’s derived from the English word “jogging” and the Swedish plockupp (meaning “to pick up”). Picking up litter benefits you and all those around — some people call it “ecological jogging.”
But there is also something we might call “progging” — jogging and praying.
Praying while you exercise
Becoming a confirmed “progger”is easy: start your warm-up with the Apostles’ Creed, do your stretches with Glory to the Father and continue with a Hail Mary as you begin to jog.
And why not be more ambitious and recite a Rosary while you jog? The plogger takes care of the hedges along the rural path, while the progger tends to his soul (but nothing prevents you from doing both!).
Some will say that progging is nothing new: pilgrims used to tend to their body and soul as they moved and prayed. In fact, there’s already a medieval English word, “progging,” that means foraging for food and resources — so this new made-up usage is a good reminder that we feed our souls and bodies when we combine prayer and exercise!
Gabrielle Cluzel
