8, (yes 8), runners showed up on this eventually-dry October evening for tonight's last minute change of plan.

Change of plan?

Yep, due to a late task cancellation, our Monday plan changed at the eleventh hour, and 8 GoodGymers found themselves standing in one of the most tranquil spots in East London, at the edge of Meath Gardens, warming up for an impromptu fitness session.

The team made one another feel very welcome, showing teammates the best makeshift bike racks, welcoming one another to the fitness circle (an incidental shape formed as late additions joined the session).

A tough little routine...

We warmed up with some, well, warm-up moves before moving on to a bit of Pilates/core know-how, before whizzing through some tough body weight moves, with an added resistance challenge, and just as our hardworking abs were about to give out, we moved on to some of the gentler, lighter mobility and stretching exercises to end our session.

Impromptu it may have been, but it was a well-spent, sociable alternative to tonight's original plan, and a good chance to tick some often-neglected fitness boxes.

And so to next Monday...

Next Monday, our big Monday night get-together sees us heading to the heart of Spitalfields for some community gardening in the gorgeous Middlesex Street community roof garden. If shifting compost under the Gherkin sounds like an excellent alternative Monday workout, do sign up here.

Until then.

Pilates in the Park soon became Pilates in the Dark...

It was in fact a gorgeous night to enjoy this dedicated fitness session, where we got a chance to catch up on all those items on our exercise to-do list.

High Vibes

One by one we gathered in magical Meath Gardens, complete with mats, resistance equipment, lighting and Apple Music's High Vibes Yoga playlist. By 7:10 we were all set, and proceeded to whizz through some dynamic stretches and warm-up exercises.

Moving swiftly onto a little Pilates theory, we learned about the main core muscles, and proceeded to put our new-found knowledge into practice with some challenging balancing moves. Add in some already-tough body weight moves combined with a little resistance equipment, a few minutes in and we were no longer worried about feeling the chill on this October evening.

Down to the ground we headed for 'ab attack', a dedicated section targeting all three areas of the abdominals, before moving onto upper body and arms; hitting the glutes, and finally finishing with some of the less tough stuff. At last!

As we lay on the ground, focusing on flexibility and mobility for the final time that evening, and having moved on to Apple's Peaceful Music list, we concluded that a lot had been achieved, and that it was an hour well spent on a lovely Autumn evening.

Until next time.

We were delighted to be meeting back at Bethnal Green's gorgeous Town Hall Hotel this week, a splendid, welcoming base to meet for this evening's Group Run.

After a quick warm-up, we headed out into Bethnal Green's busy, bustling streets, taking in Middleton Green, scene of many a fitness session over the last couple of years.

On arrival at Oxford House, we were joined by other members, who'd made their way on foot and cycle, ready to start this evening's task at 7-prompt.

It was an absolute joy to see Deborah again, who we haven't seen for a while, as we were briefed on this evening's tasks.

Why were we here?

We haven't visited Oxford House for nearly three years! And as there are a number of jobs that the venue are happy to have a hand with, we were delighted to return to this lively community venue.

Forming two teams, we gathered in the basement toilets and the gallery. Team Toilet wasted no time preparing the space for the big task of the night: painting the whole toilet area! They quickly got to work tackling one wall at a time, in a small, rather warm space.

Meanwhile the team who'd headed over to the theatre area were busy taping up areas not to be painted as the theatre is soon to get a new look. Skirting boards, door handles...all were carefully sealed with tape.

When the taping team had finished, they proceeded to empty the theatre of furniture, stacking piles of chairs and moving the heavy piano. As usual, they finished the task early.

As they stacked the last chair and tidied away the last bits of tape, the painting team were busy finishing up in the tidiest way possible. (With a little more painting remaining, it's a good job we're back next week).

Paint brushes were washed, rollers soaked, the floor scrubbed... Finally we were able to gather for one last pic.

Shout-outs tonight to Rahul for this evening's pun, and to George, for his first GoodGym event!

Next week, we return to see Deborah for Painting Part II, theatre clearance, and a few other active jobs.

Until then.

Sunny, warm and picturesque: that's how we like our tasks in Tower Hamlets.

And so it was a group of 9 came to meet Marcelo from the Parks team this balmy Monday evening.

Some of us met at the Town Hall Hotel steps, glad to be free of makeshift home work stations for the day, armed with the perfect excuse to head out. Others met us at the task, at the north east corner of huge, bustling, beautiful Victoria Park, on bike and foot.

Trash treasure

There Marcelo met us, complete with gloves galore; sturdy bin bags and bin bag hoops, the ultimate volunteering accessory (the bin bag hoop enables you to bag your trash treasure with infinitely more ease, much-appreciated when tackling dubious-looking damp items, and weighty vodka bottles).

We were dispatched all over this hidden woodland area, close to the Park's yard, which Marcelo explained didn't get a lot of visitors. We discussed the future of this area, which, although a bit of a litter hotspot, is also a sanctuary to much wildlife, with bundles of potential.

As always it was a companionable, active way to start the week. After navigating uneven, rocky, dense terrain for nearly an hour, we grabbed our litter bags and accompanied Marcelo to the commercial bin.

Piling the trash high, we posed for our final pics, promising to return soon for Woodland TLC Part II.

Next week,

...we're back at the Cemetery Park, to continue clearing those woodland paths.

Until then.