OMG, is it true? Your damn right it is..... We hit 22! Not just that.... Now hold onto your hat Four Boys did come for some Goodgym fun!!

On a beautifully sunny Monday, we hosted Brent's largest ever familia affair, with a whopping 22 runners, rolling deep to represent the west wing of Goodgym! YIPPEEE And yes you did read that correctly we had not one, not two, not even three, but FOUR marvellous males, holding down the fort for the Brent Brigade. This is a big dealio y'all, because up until now, we've been a largely female populated crew, so to welcome these guys, filled us with delight!

Also in the mix this eve were four fabulous newbie faces: Dinesh, Zara, Simon and Audrey who to their credit threw themselves straight into the old familia faces of the beloved Brent crew, with all the smiles and enthusiasm under the setting the sun!

So after welcomes and housekeeping, we set to stepping the 2 mile dash down to the task for the eve, a Granville day out gardening jobey for our great friends - The Granville Community Kitchens in south kilburn. As we set off it was clear to see, with such great numbers there would be some diversity. Some were fast, some were slightly slower, but everyone running hard to get to the lawnmower!

With Debs and Joe taking on leader of the fast pack roles, there was no stopping the speedy twosome, as they pushed pace and got the front pack to the task in swift time. I led from the back and enjoyed every last chat with my gang of girlies; Mouse, Amy and the fabulous familia clique the Anandas, who as well, to my delight, had brought mum back!! Hurrah!!! Ready to rock the roads and give back for Goodgym looking fresh to death in her floral enemble. Go on Mum!!!

So with crew 2 arriving with me in 30mins flat, we were delighted to enter into an already busy scene. The weeds were being wacked, the plants watered, the holes for compost being dug and the awesome foursome of guys on deck, putting themselves to good use by shifting some Shhhhhhhhhhhshould we move on..... It definitely needed some expert MANoeuvring that MANure!!

While the gang worked their magic, Leslie our host served up some delicious treats! Fresh watermelon and some lovely cold H20 Water way to be treated hey!!!

With 30minutes of hard graft under our belts, the gang didn't stop there. Next up they got to stepping with some fitness drills to finish off the session. Three rounds of plank holds, with various arrangements: Low holds, high holds, hip dips, high to low changes and press up practice thrown in for good measure! Core blimey they were working hard and putting in the real-deal efforts..... I expect nothing less from this team of legends

Last whistle blow and it was sadly time to go. One last pose, because as we all know, I do love a snap of my Goodgym pack.

Last shutterbug of the night achieved and we were off once more, into the eve which was still gloriously light. The speed demons head off like bullets and leading the back-packers once more, we cruised it home with all the good vibes in the west! Snapping selfie pics with pink elephants all the way home.

Back at base and it was stretch and last banter, with The Ananda's mamma telling us of her secrets to youthful looks..... wait for it...... A full bowl of spicy curry before every run!!! Yikes But you should see this woman, like Benjamin Button, getting younger every step she took!! Think I may try that one out, but perhaps a Korma, no warmer?!?!?

BOY OH BOY, What a night, to welcome our blokes in with the female folks. We focussed our run, towards a wonderful cause in Kilburn. Ran four hefty miles all with big smiles. The weather couldn't have been hotter, but no group could be better, than GG Brent, from Goodgym, heaven sent.

See you next time fitness familia!!!

DO GOOD. FEEL GOOD. INSPIRE

Leafleting for affordable and free counselling services in Brent to support the people of the borough to achieve positive and healthy mental health! POW POW Random and raucous run report written by a boisterous, banter filled GG Brent, in a game of Run Report Consequences at our summer drinks ting! Enjoy the madness!!!

The beautiful crew, knew what to do when they met in The Queensbury, for a run and some leafleting. Good gym a'hoy, let's spread lots of joy, said the leader named Ellie to the merry and many.

The rain was pissing down and the group looked like rats who were drowned and that's before we had even set off for the task!! Oh Well... Hoods up and off we went to show Brent what's up!

Handing out the leaflets was wayyyyyyy to easy for us pros, so we went for a sprint down to Cricklewood as well! Yay.

As we scattered, the group were dumbfounded......where could she be? Despite excruciatingly aching muscles each took a road and ran, yelling out Ellie's name..!!! Oh there she is.

Next the runners were told that "Glutes" are evil and must be destroyed..... (Side note from actual Ellie talking now..... this is a fiction.... I love GLUTES!!!) and 24 glutes were P-lunged from existence.

The sadistic leader then tortured the athletes until half of us had broken down, however, she was relegated back to base and made a visit to the police station for her comeuppance (oh wait that was last week)

We finished the keep-fit part of the evening with some lunging and stretching. Elisa said "Hi" to a guy.... The group said "Who's that?"....... She didn't know but he was very very handsome! Perhaps he'll come to Goodgym next week..??!?! Let's hope so!!

All stretched out and ready to roll (and drink), there was just enough time for a quick photo op (Ellie never misses a trick) Ellie pulled one of her poses for the photo, giving up the totality of any semblance of normality. Ellie also had a moment when she talked about the mystical side of sports training.

Two late arrivals showed up with medals from the 10mile race yesterday.... Sadhana and Mouse Yipppeeee. More practice to be done at Goodgym, as there are many more races to be run with fellow goodgymers!!

The end......The chips..... The drinks..... The Italiano sisters told me to write this! Hummmmm thanks for that stunning finisher Samuel!!!!

See you next week!!!!!

DO GOOD. FEEL GOOD. INSPIRE

Well it all dried up nicely for our Monday Goodgym in Bexley. Tonight we focused on our running techniques, building our fitness, having fun, and meeting new Goodgymers. And meeting new Goodgymers is what we did. A massive hi5 goes to Sara and Emma welcome to Goodgym Bexley., we hope you loved it. Basecamp Crooklog was virtually empty so we had most the area to ourselves. Having all levels of runners this week, we split up into two teams. One doing a longer loop, with Eileen leading (thanks so much) and one team doing a shorter loop. Thanks Caz for looking after our back group. The beautiful thing about this weeks run is both groups could push to their full potential and no one would be left behind.

There's no better feeling than heading out on to the road with all those Goodgym tee shirts on display, it just feels brilliant.

On heading back into basecamp Crooklog, smiles were a many so we headed strainght into fitness mode. It was time to introduce everyone to burpees 😁 I'm a true believer that fitness should be hard work but real fun and that was the order of this evening. We split into two teams and suddenly it was pure rivalry, all love had disappeared, no team wanted to lose, no team wanted the losers punishment. At tonight's fitness session every part of the body was worked, and worked hard, but guess what, there always has to be a losing team.

I am glad to report it all ended pleasantly, with massive smiles, lots of laughs, and friendly hand shakes.

Well it was that time again, the time where we all go our separate ways, but with the promise of all coming back next week and doing it all again. See ya next week Goodgymers! We've got an awesome task for an awesome community charity.

On the last Monday of the month, GG Brent tackled timber, banished branches, cropped & chopped, then hopped their way to a tasty 6k. All in a days work for the West London tribe. That's definitely what I'd call a Grandville day out POW POW

What a happy GG leader I was to be greeted by the always smiling faces of my delicious gang of Brent beauties this Monday night and can you Adam and Eve it, this week we had not one, not two but three brilliant boys YAYYYYYYY.

Even, the threat of an impending down-pour, was still no deterrent for my fierce force of favourites as we laced up and braced ourselves for the wet and wild whisk over to Carlton Vale for our goodgym antics for the night.

However, to our delight, as we stepped outside base camp, the skies had cleared and a lovely sunset was all that guided us the 2 mile jaunt over to south Kilburn for our terrific task for the night - The chop and pop operation of the Granville Community sites gardens!

So what was it all about then, I hear you cry???? Well, Grandville is this amazing centre, that serves the local community in so many ways. Believing that everyone no matter circumstance has the right to fresh, good quality, nutritious food, they serve their patrons via their community allotments, community cooking nights, classes and feasts and school education programmes. Food for though wouldn't you say

Upon arrival our fantastic host Leslie explained the deeds we had in store for our 45min blast and let me tell you, there were plenty!! The strenuous task of yanking out dead tree roots, the sawing and chopping out of control bushes and the ever so yucky stamping down of the compost Debs and I got our hands dirty with this one. *NICE***

Without further-a-do, the team set to work with magical momentum, wasting no time at all and grabbing all the tools that Leslie could throw at us. Special credit must go to Sam, who with his own bear hands yanked out not one but two massive tree roots, which was no easy Roots Manoeuvre I can tell you!

As the time etched away the team cracked on, with Sean and Dan sawing their way through the devilish nasties of the blackberry spikes. Laura, Sam and Amy the dream Yank and Pull team and Enrique, Debs and Myself busying ourselves with the clear up and stack jobs leftover, but of course not leaving out time for tom-foolery in the bushes!!! Standard antics And after a genuine back-breaking 40mins, the clear up and clear out was upon us and out the gates we did boost, wishing our hosts a fond farewell, with our echoes of See you sooonnnn singing in the air.

I think it's safe to say we we came, we tasked and we conquered that garden (for this week anyway) but there is plenty more work to be done, so we will most definitely be back. Not only to get our revenge on the Blackberry branches, who managed to give me personally one final leg jab on the way out!! OUCH

So with 2 miles left to dash, the team set to running and funning all the way home and with more boys in the mix this week, the boisterousness banter was upped a level, with Enrique and Sam chasing and racing each other all the way home!!

Not wet Hurrah but most definitely wild, thank you team for yet another wonderfully, weird and fun filled week in Brent!

See you next time!!!!

DO GOOD. FEEL GOOD. INSPIRE

Bank holiday Monday, was no rest for the badass, when seven Royal subjects; Tasked and in glory basked, at Queen's Park! POW POW

On the last day of the Eater bank hols, this stupendous crew of seven Brent Beauties, hit-up Willesden with passion and purpose! Tasking for some awesome community groups in the area and leaflet dropping for all of the above including our lovely selves. The golden ticket event being to make a member of the community smile whilst conversing with them and passing the paper!! I of course opted for sharing a moment with a furry kind of passer by in the form of the cutest Pomeranian Pup known to doggy-kind, who paid me all the gorgeous attention i wanted back with yelps and cries of gleeYAY

So, after the 1.5mile dash to our evening's destination - Queen Park, my regal roamers got to grips with the fitness focus of the night - The 1 Mile challenge...!!!!! And with their Easter Egg hangovers to shake off, my speedsters got in line at the starting blocks and......... 3,2,1 THEIR OFF!!

No I'm not even Egg-aggerating * when I say my crew smashed out some *Egg-cellent work (sorry I had to do at least some egg related puns!!) They all absolutely annihilated their PBs and I mean all of them by at least one full minute!!!!!!! Amazing!!!! However, special shouts have to go out to the first three back - Debs with an absolutely epic time of 6minutes and 20seconds!!!! Closely followed by Sam coming in at 6minutes 35seconds!!! And the second half of Sister Sledge; Tabitha, not only rolling in at 6minutes 40, but taking a clean 2mins of her PB from last time!!!!! Absolutely astonishing!!!!!

So with Personal Bests torn apart and energy running high, the team opted for more fitness fun, in the form of a short bodyweight and plyometrics circuit in the park followed by some bandstand planking in support of the amazing Sadhana, who is 40 days into her plank-a-day challenge. And can I just say WOWWWW Sadhana schooled us all with her core strength and ability, which just proves, consistency everyday, gets results!!!

With perfect 1 minute held planks achieved, we had just enough time for some playtime antics of cartwheels on the grass, handstands and photo-ops, because lets face it, GG Brent never miss a chance to get shutterbug happy when the sun and blossoms are out :)

After playtime in the park, there was just enough fuel in our tanks, to chase pavements all the way back to base for our cool down jaunt of 1.5miles. With chatting and laughter in the air (as always) this fitness familia arrived back at base rosy cheeked and full of pride as the achievements of the eve had finally sunk in!!! WOW I mean, this team may be little but we be fierce and tonight we proved that with gusto!!!

Always a pleasure with people that I treasure. Badass and bold, GG Brent - what a team to behold!

See you next time!!!!

DO GOOD. FEEL GOOD. INSPIRE