Full or mince pies and good intentions, with the promise of new fitness and even more good deeds in the air, it was the first group of run of 2019 for GoodGym Hounslow and we were raring to go.

The chill factor didn't stop 16 of us meeting at Chiswick Town Hall ready to make a difference in our local community, and we quickly got stuck into a run down of the news.

A huge congratulations to Africa who ran a great 10k race on New Year's Eve (despite the small shoes), to Remy who nailed a barnstorming new 5k PB at the weekend, where Andy and Natasha were volunteering. Nice one team!

This weekend there is a long run starting from Kew Bridge. It is 18k at various paces, nobody will be left behind, and it's along some of the prettiest stretches of the river. Sign up here for all the details.

Know somebody who is interested in GoodGym but a bit unsure about what the whole thing is about? Point them towards this sweet little starter session happening on Sunday - it's the perfect way to find a bit more about the loveliness that is GG, ask questions, meet the trainer and talk about fitness goals. Spread the word!

Don't forget there is a parkrun being set up at Duke's Meadow - they're looking for volunteers for what will be the most local parkrun to GG Hounslow's start location.

After a bumper week of news we headed outside to warm up (much needed), and to find out what one thing we were all going to achieve in 2019. There were loads of running goals, which is excellent, including first marathons, halfs, and 5k pbs. Don't forget that if you have goals and need some help, motivation or advice, just come and speak to me. Good luck team!

Our task tonight was fairly close by, perfect for easing ourselves back into the feel of group running. So after ten minutes at a steady pace we arrived at Strand on the Green school ready to tackle hell's own flora, otherwise known as diseased box hedges. These thorny little pests have been attacked by something, and the school has asked us to tackle the resulting problem - rows and rows of dead bushes.

This is our second visit, and it won't be our last, as they proved more of a challenge than we first thought! But they were no match for the might of GG , and half an hour later there were far fewer of them blighting the school grounds. Michelle, Andy, Lindsay and Remy also made short work of a broken old planter, and the pathways were given a good sweeping.

After 40 minutes of hard work, we tore ourselves away from the bushes, and set off back to our starting point for the fitness session. Focussing on strength and conditioning, we started off with the fiendishly tough cha cha slide challenge, which featured several minutes of ab-testing plank variations. Then came the body blitz, which saw us take on several rounds of body circuits that lasted two minutes each. Tough work, but great to see everybody putting in so much effort. Abs of steel, here we come!

So great to see you all GoodGym, and looking forward to all the excellent things 2019 holds for us. Starting with next week's run, for which you can sign up right here!