All to play for

Another Monday another fitness session. Barbara took the title literally and dressed up in fancy dress. Love the thought and effort ! Brilliantly whacky ! Its just a shame she doesn't know where the selfie function is on her phone!

This evening we participated in some playing card fitness * Squat reaches to keep your heart pumping * Tricep dips to make your arms as pure as a diamond * Clubs to give those abs a russian twist * Spades to make that chest dig deeper to th floor

A card was pulled by each participant either virtually or from my pack with the reps for each move perfectly paired with the suit. Jacks, Queen and King gave you MORE as did my timer as the last rep was a 30 second isometric holds. Brutal!

Sue completed her wall sit kettle boil challenge in style and with ease . Well done Sue! you are nailing your fitness right now:)

Its a dogs life

The post workout drink and chat was predominantly about dogs so next week its 'workout with your pet week' John is bringing K9, me Hudson and you bring yours!

See you this Friday for the GG Worthing 1st ever fun quiz night. Not to be missed ! Zoom link will be posted on the day via the whats app bossing it thread.

Take care and stay safe

Julia

Lapping it up on a beautiful evening in Sunny Worthing

We (nearly) all convened at Worthing Leisure Centre . Running late due to traffic problems, Belinda met us at the task and Jay who was simply just running round in circles also joined us at the task after a quick dash from Splashpoint.

It was great to welcome back Emily back from her hols together with [Sue] from her work commitments (https://www.goodgym.org/runners/sue-c2e8c2a1-bcc6-48f6-ac03-ab9b55ab6a66)

Sue returned on an epic night as she together with Jay jointly reached their 25th good deed. Massive thanks and kudos to you both for all your energy, time and fun that you give to our group.

It was also really nice to welcome 2nd timer Chris back. Sadly no champagne or cake tonight like Chris had on his debut experience at Belinda's 100th .

However, we don't have to wait long for another reason to celebrate. Next week we will raise a glass when Anne and Nick jointly reach their 50th milestone good deed. Come and join us for this bank holiday extravaganza!

Back to tonights task....

WIth John leading the walking group he and Paula set off whilst the runners ( Paul, Chris, Jill, Roxy, Lucy, Sue and Emily )set off (and arrived) at the task second. No change there ! New walk leader John seems to have mastered the magical apparating skills very nicely. All part of the GG Worthing experience!

Mulch ado about nothing

It was good to see our breathing spaces friend Lisa at the task and she quickly put our large group to work with an interesting variety of tasks.

There was another tonne of mulchy type soil / fertiliser to shift from the bag at the front to the raised bed number 1 and 2 at the back of the allotments.

This was combined with a challenging bed of grass to dig over which was then used to raise the level of the existing grassy path.

More tasks included weeding ,edge trimming and shifting branch debris . I hope that the photos this week will reflect the diversity of this wonderful community allotment and garden that is a hidden jewel of green space in Goring.

At the risk of repeating myself it never ceases to amaze me just how much a team of happy committed volunteers can achieve in just 30 minutes!

After a great group photo ( will we get photo of the week with this one?!) the walkers and runners headed back to the leisure centre

GoodGymers keep on track

With 2 x 400 metre efforts on the springy track this was an inspiring challenge for me to watch. As I mentioned a few weeks ago we are concentrating on runner a little bit quicker over 800 metres to help improve our endurance and speed.

I felt so very proud of the efforts that I saw this evening. It was also heart warming to hear the support and applause that the team gave each other. Some great photos too. Apologies if I didn't get one of you in action. I will ensure I capture you next time!

The central GG focus for May is focusing on mental health. With this in mind do any of you have any suggestions how we can expand on this locally? I would like to suggest that we all set a fresh fitness goal that we can support each other with.

Drop me a message with yours and update your GG profile too.

Have a great week and early spring bank holiday weekend too.

Julia X P.s Special mention to John for the headline pun tonight . You have the job!!

All present and correct

Sophocles once said, “To be doing good deeds is man’s most glorious task.” In modern day this would be “To be doing good deeds is man and woman's most glorious task.” In Spanish it is loosely translated to ''Estar haciendo buenas obras es la tarea más gloriosa del hombre y la mujer "

On Belinda's special 100th task evening we were delighted to welcome Azahara and Chris for their first good deed and run with us together. What a night to join us !

We also welcomed back Andy who returned for his second visit which was a great relief to know that we hadn't scared him off last week. I had been anxiously watching the register for this weeks task all week to see if he would return!

With my trusted regulars also turning out in true GG force it was great to see Duncan, Ros,John , Paul, Nick, Jay,Roxy, Lucy,Gill and not forgetting Barbara who joined us directly at the task.

After some lively introductions and usual GG regional banter 4 walkers set off in advance of the running group for our short warm up run to Kamelia Kids which is a day nursery that supports both able bodied and special needs children.

No kidding around - Who's kidding who?!

We were warmly welcomed back to the KK by caretaker Andy who explained that the centre is having their open day this weekend so a general post winter tidy up of the outside playgrounds, frontage and several flower bed would be much appreciated. This was a big task so it was great that the team had turned out in force this evening.

The team armed themselves with gloves and tools and headed off to all far corners of the centre . They swept oodles of sand together with doing some weeding , path clearing , digging over soil and scooping up debris from Andy's hedge cutting.

Jay aka snowflake took some time out from his wheelbarrow and debris shuttling to test out the toys in the playground with some amusing results. We all knew Jay is young at heart and now we saw first hand how he likes to stay in touch with his inner child :)

40 minutes later time had flown by and it was time to capture the obligatory photo . With some fun climbing equipment including a pole for Lucy to practice and John to pose on this certainly was a fun moment to capture the final photo.

The walkers set off on their route whilst the runners set off on a slightly extended route via the Ilex trees in Goring and the seafront. The run included a crocodile drill with the back runner sprinting to the front of the single line. At times this turned into a highly dis functional activity which wasn't without its fair share of laughter and disobedience of instructions! The front group split into two but somewhat miraculously all 3 groups arrived back at base at the same time.

The fitness session at Worthing Leisure Centre track was rather sporadic with many of the group going AWOL and having to be rounded up whilst others looked at me in horror at the idea of a fitness '100' session.

For the 2nd time in 3 weeks I abandoned the idea and instead finished this memorable evening with some track 100 metre sprints. However, just like BREXIT, the fitness session will return for a 3rd attempt and even 4th if necessary to push it through!!

A picture paints a thousand wings

Without a doubt the evening belonged to Belinda and we finished it in style. Although she knew we would drink fizz she didn't realise that the team had rallied round to surprise her with 2 decorated gluten free cakes courtesy of Paulwho cooked an Orange and Polenta one and Roxy a GF chocolate mouse one.

There was also champagne, balloons and a plethora of presents including Belinda's very first exquisite needle felt from husband John made with love and presented in style which I think may have made her evening. Great work Mr R :)

Many thanks to Duncan for facilitating the room at the leisure centre and very well done to our newbies Chris and Azahara for taking all this in great spirit . We hope to see lots more of you in the coming weeks (although we cant always promise a champagne finish!)

I will leave you with a definition of an angel that I found. I feel this sums up our very own Belinda

A person of exemplary conduct or virtue. An angel is a loving and caring person. She/he will make your day brighter just being there. She/he has some sense of style. They can show you undying love and compassion. They can do great things. If you got yourself an Angel you’re lucky. Conventionally represented in human form with wings

Look out for those wings on Belinda next week :)

With lots of GG love for an amazing feel good week

Julia xxx

Care to party-cipate?

What an evening this proved to be. I was really excited to return to see our friends Claire and Lisa at Breathing Spaces but little did I know about the plans that were about to unfold.

The evening was always going to be celebratory one . GG Worthing's 2nd anniversary , our very own Snowflake's ( aka Jay's ) Birthday, Lucy's recent half marathon and my 100th good deed .The agenda for the evening was all clear in my head. An environmentally friendly task in support of the WWF earth hour, followed by a run and epic 100 fitness session then finishing with a social down at our favourite chippie.

Not even a record turn out of 17 people rang any alarm bells in my head. I just assumed that the lighter evening and beautiful weather had inspired nearly all my team of regulars to turn out on the same evening.

Tonights task was predominantly to shift a ton of manure from a bag to a raised bed in the allotment together with a some digging and weeding thrown in too.

Basking in glorious reflected oblivion

It was an earlier start tonight and everyone (amazingly) managed to arrive directly at the task and not at our regular meeting place at Splashpoint LC.

There were no last minute whats app messages about sitting in reception on their own or even any phone calls of 'I'm lost in Worthing' . The team were on their best behaviour .

Yet not even their 100% attention to detail rang any alarm bells, I just proudly basked in the defining moment that maybe just maybe after 2 years 2 weeks of being the Worthing GG leader that they had all had an epiphany moment or possibly even read my emails,messages or perhaps even, shock horror, found the GG website where the weeks instructions are carefully hidden!

Little did I realise that it was our task force member Belinda who had whipped them into this perfect state of union!

Task dung and dusted

Some of the the team set about shovelling the manure into wheelbarrows whilst others set about digging and weeding this secret garden of an allotment stashed away in the depths of Goring.

It was with some amusement that we observed the steaming warm manure. It drew my memory back to a line in one of my favourite films , Pretty Woman , where in a polo match the crowd are encouraged to help displaced turf but also advised ' Beware of the steaming divet' ( I digress!)

With tonights record attendance we achieved loads in a really short amount of time and still kept the light from the beautiful hue of a setting sunset. There was an electric buzz of energy and chatter too.

As the task was drawing to an end I asked the walkers to gather together and set off on stage 2 of the evening to the WLC track for our fitness session . 5 minutes later there was so much shuffling around but no sign of anyone taking any notice of my repeated requests .

'I'm waiting for Belinda who's by the car' says John. 'You have to walk past Belinda at the car John, there is no other way out so lets be on our way now ' I replied( twice)

Still no obvious move to leave .... and then a few moments later I looked around and suddenly I understood everything....

All You Needle Is Love

Oh my goodness! Coming at me were bags, balloons ,bottles of champagne and a cake too! Suddenly all the team gathered around with a plethora of good wishes and vibes for my 100th good deed .

The team had all pulled together to arrange this mega surprise with an assortment of goodies.

Rosin handed me red balloons with a 100 one flying high. Jay handed me an amazing red GoodGym wings cake that he had arranged to be made and Belinda handed me a bag with a red box in. Later on Duncan presented me with a large rectangular box with a framed canvas of our infamous sea photo from last years long hot summer and Paula a little bag with some stunning iridescent star earrings.Others handed me both written thoughtful cards and extensive good wishes.

Inside the red box John had worked his magic with a needle felt image of me in my red t shirt in a framed red wooden frame that he had also made and painted. This must have taken hours to make and I'm so touched and grateful for the time and love that went into making it.

Advanced In Cheers ( years)

Barbara had previously smuggled in champagne which I'm convinced had been carefully hidden in the manure due to its warmth! To think I thought I had control of this group and yet they managed to pull a stunt like this right under my nose lol.

Duncan and Jay popped the corks and we raised our glasses ( well actually some plastic cups that had miraculously appeared ) several times but encompassing so many celebrations . To GG Worthing being 2 years old , to Snowflakes 32nd Birthday , to all the personal and group achievements,half marathons, personal bests , good friends made and all the good deeds we have done and will continue to do and finally to my 100th which without all of you I would not have achieved. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Special mention to Claire and Lisa from Breathing spaces for facilitating this impromptu party in their allotment and for joining in the fun.

To put the lid on my complete lack of control tonight I was informed that the run and fitness were cancelled and that we were heading straight to continue the festivities at Chipwick.

Whilst most of the team disbanded before I changed their minds Jemmie announced her intention to lead a mini fitness session around the green and so for those willing (or unlucky ones that hung just a few minutes too long) we had a quick 10 minute HIIT session.

Bubbles of Love

We all reconvened for a pretty lively Birthday celebration ( massive apologies to the other diners at Chipwick ! )

Roxy arrived with the biggest cake ever that one of her talented house mates had made and that which she had decorated with wings , writing , snowflakes ( No you can't eat the snowflake Jay !) and candles . With a rousing happy Birthday and one off moment of me crushing Jays knee when we blew out the candles, we posed, chinked and cheered our way through the rest of the evening.

With an amusing cake cutting scenario (competition?!) between Jay and me, we somehow managed to give every willing taker a goodie box ( pilfered by Jay from the staff ) of cake to take home . Suddenly the evening was over but I was still buzzing with the surprise and warmth from this special evening.

Roll of honour

It honestly hadn't crossed my mind that any of this would happen. In fact I only noticed it was my 100th last week whilst scrollling through GG profiles whilst I was on holiday . I really could not of dreamed ,imagined or asked for a better surprise than this. I feel so humbled at the pure joy and love that you have all shown tonight.

Massive thank you to the following ( in no particular order ) who turned out tonight

• Barbara
• Jay
• Duncan
• Lucy
• Tamsin and Jemmie
• Roisin
• Anne
• Roxy
• Ros
• Emma
• Paula
• Belinda
• John R
• Gill
• Paul
• John
• Michelle
• Nick

With huge GG love and massive thanks to you all

We did it !

It was a close run challenge but in the end , with a little help from our friends on a bonus task in Worthing we nailed the GG January target of 60 good deeds and 600 km in running!

Role of honour

Massive thanks and kudos to all those who turned out in freezing temperatures both tonight and throughout all of January to ensure that we achieved this prestigious target.

In particular this evening we welcomed Duncan with fellow work colleagues Erin, Amanda and her husband Dean. Also John, Belinda's husband together with Belinda herself,Anne and Charlie the dog ( alas -no email address ) joined by Paul,Tamsin, Barbara , Roxy and Nick,

Its in the bag !

30 short minutes later the team had filled a whopping 16 bags full of garden debris consisting mainly of dead palm tree branches from the flower beds immediately adjacent to the road .More than respectable by any standards and a whole lot tidier and nicer to look at.

With a few random burpees and some photos we wound up the final task of January !

Its a wrap !

Thats it folks :) We have succeeded where many GG areas have not. In reality it really is the taking part that counts.

Massive thanks to all you wonderful people :)

I hope to see as many of you as possible at the Old Bike Shed on Friday 1st feb at 8pm

Love your running

Julia x

GoodGym parkrun ( almost takeover)

Following a very successful parkrun with fantastic support from the (almost) sober and sensible Worthing team of GoodGym volunteers a handful of us met up for the New Year GoodGym starter run.

It was a great delight to welcome our newest member Paula who will soon be modelling her red T shirt with pride. In a few short hours shes already getting a taste of the GG whats app banter ! Surely there cant be many whats app groups within GoodGym that are quite as active,cheeky and funny as ours ?! Maybe the prodigal GG super hero Beth could comment on this please.

There was also a guest appearance from Nick who led the walking group together with Barbara, Paul and John, Roxy , Michelle and Romeo.

Tis the season

Both the walking and running group set off and soon reconvened for a photo on the pier. From here the running front group set off along the seafront to Brooklands for an out and back route and the walk/runners followed until we all met up at the turn around point.

This is where it got rather spooky ! The front runners stopped on the seafront for an impromptu fitness session so that the walkers could catch us up and we could all finish together.

So, te question is, how did 3 walkers miss 5 runners doing a fitness session on exactly the same route along the seafront. The stealthy light footed trio walked right past the focused and fit athletes and neither noticed each other :):):)

When the runners finally decided that the walkers must have gone on a detour we headed back the short distance to the meeting point to find them looking rather smug that they had already finished !

Happy New Year Team Worthing

After some stretches and chatter we all dispersed until next Monday when we will be meeting up with our friendly park ranger for some outside work at Marine Gardens. I decided we needed a cruel to be kind start to 2019 with none of the cushy inside tasks that you have all got used to recently!

I cant wait to deliver another year of fitness and good deeds to you all ..... and speaking of fitness ......

The Daily 10 minute GoodGym January Fitness Challenge

I know that you have all been eagerly awaiting this so here it goes .. Its all about the 10

10 Inchworms 10 Squats 10 Burpees 10 Press ups on toes 10 Jumping Jacks 10 Sit ups

Repeat approximately 3 times to compete the 10 minutes or just keep going until you drop.

Enjoy !

Lots of love and heres to a happy, healthy and fun filled 2019

Julia xxx