WHY GO TO THE GYM? Health is the main factor, things such as increasing or maintaining fitness, losing weight, building up muscle, recovering after surgery – all of these are the most common reasons and gyms certainly see a healthy footfall through the door. But as well as why you go to the gym, what about what you get out of it, other than fitness? Pounding away on a treadmill might be good for your heart, but it can also be mind-numbingly boring and see you wishing the minutes away, thereby devaluing your exercise time. Lots of people do classes aqua aerobics, Tai Chi, Legs, Bums and Tums –and one of the principle reasons gym-goers do this is for company. To have their exercise experience shared with others. If this is what you’re looking for in your fitness regime, then there’s good news folks! The Good Gym is exactly that.
GOOD BY NAME AND GOOD BY NATURE. Working on the dual concepts of exercise for the body and exercise for the mind, there are Good Gyms groups in dozens of towns and cities across the UK available to join. They work on the simple and yet innovative concept of bringing something extra to your exercise by involving the wider community in your efforts. Good Gyms allow for your internal benefitto match your external benefit. Over 1 million people aged 65 or over admit to always, or often, feeling lonely. And 17% of people who live alone see family or friends less than once a week and this is only going to intensify with the festive season rapidly approaching. Christmas is a peak time for elderly people to feel lonely. It’s very easy to watch others celebrating with their families, sharing happy photos on social media and feel very detached from all of that. Just have memories to go on. And there might also be those who struggle with the bigger tasks, like putting up a Christmas tree, decorating their home, sometimes wrapping gifts is a bit too much for old fingers – there are lots of reasons to participate. To combat loneliness, difficulty and promote happiness at the jolly festive time of the year, there are three main ways that the Good Gymoperates, and you simply choose the one that most appeals to you:
1. Coach runs. With this approach you combine your run with a visit to an elderly person who might otherwise never have conversation day to day. You pre-organise your visit, so you can tie it in neatly with your planned route. 2. Mission runs. With these, you combine your run with stopping off to help a vulnerable person with a task that is just too big for them to manage alone. In the warmer weather this would include things like painting a fence or planting seasonal bulbs. But at this time of the year you might be needed to get Christmas decorations down from the attic, write Christmas cards or wrap gifts. Helping someone to lift the weight off their mind that they might ordinarily struggle with. 3. Another type of mission run is running with a group and taking part in something communityorientated along the way, ensuring a regular, steady flow of volunteering streaming into your community. And along with this volunteering, don’t forget that taking part in this group exercise also means that you get to meet new people, make new friends and above all – have a reason to run! If enthusiasm sometimes deserts you, this could be an excellent way of getting in shape for the festive season. Sausage rolls, mince pies and Baileys are far better enjoyed knowing that your scheduled run will burn off any extra calories.
THE GOOD GYM AVAILABILITY. These are some of the areas where The Good Gym operates:Brent, Bromley, Camden, Croydon, Hackney and Greenwich, to name just a few. You can visit www. goodgym.org/areas to check out whether there’s a group set up that’s local to you. Wherever you are, it’s almost certain that you’ll find a Good Gym group nearby.
DON’T JUST TAKE OUR WORD FOR IT! The Guardian newspaper had this to say: “The Good Gym offers an imaginative alternative to conventional gyms, tapping into the human potential of local communities.” It’s also Lottery funded and endorsed by big names such as BT. It’s gathering force and becoming a mass moving body – so don’t miss your chance to help others as you help your health! To know more check out www.goodgym.org