On short notice, we found out the Phoenix had no leaflets for us, but a quick message to the Artsdepot and our evening's activities were sorted. I trekked over with 450 of their Autumn programmes in my backpack - which slowed me down a bit! - but lucky for me a whopping seven other Goodgymmers were out for the session, including our favourite four-legged jogger, Gus. Great also to see Lucy taking a break from too much work and join us, and Patricia sticking with us for her fourth session in a month!

We warmed up as usual, taking it turns to pick exercises to our heart rates up. Beattie and Rachel had tonight's question: what item of furniture do you wish you had? A couple of sofas, a standing desk, Richard's wish for a sun lounger, and Paul wanting a tempur mattress (not a tempuRA mattress, which would need a very large deep frier).

Paul and Gus took up backmarking to keep out of the way, while the rest of us got started, splitting into teams to cover each side of the road. We leapfrogged our way through the back streets, occasionally tagging back to Paul to collect more. And we were done with 450 leaflets in about 25min.

Wanting a little more fitness, we jogged across the High Road to Market Place Gardens - a parklet and playground Goodgym Barnet helped prepare the ground for several years ago - for a little bit of circuit training. Push ups, reverse push ups, step ups with cardio inbetween - star jumps, burpies and variations, and squat kicks to finish. It only took another 15min tops and while Subham was keen for the game of tag Paul suggested, it was just a bit too dark and trip-hazardous, so we jogged back to the Phoenix for a decent stretch down and a quick snack and drink.

Well done to Beattie for clocking up a whopping 150 good deeds - a mini-milestone, but not far off 200. Plenty more to keep fit with!

Mango, mango, mango!

We were back at the Community Grocer in North Finchley for our regular Tuesday community mission. The weather wasn’t great, but it gave us extra motivation to get the food off the lorry and into the dry, before moving it safely into the shop ready for redistribution.

This week there were plenty of spring onions and mangoes among the delivery. A satisfying bit of teamwork, helping good food reach local people rather than go to waste.

Get yourself down there and save some food! Or join us at a future session to lend a hand.

Yoga talk

Yoga encourages Three-dimensional Movement.

Much of our lives are spent moving our bodies in only one direction. Whether we’re sitting on a chair, flexing our neck up and down to look at screens or moving between floors by going up and down stairs, we’re drastically limited in our range of motions. Our bodies were designed to move in 3 dimensions, yet modern life forces us to largely move in only one. yoga helps to encourage a variety of movements..

George and I were asked to help clear a garden so a single mother could enjoy it with her son. The space had become overgrown and overwhelming. Using loppers, shears, and rakes, we managed to clear most of the area, placing the cuttings at the back of the garden to compost. By the time we finished, the trampoline was accessible and the garden ready for use. It felt daunting even for us, yet it was deeply satisfying to complete the task.