A few GoodGym members came together to do online yoga

Yoga talk

Check out this study that highlights the connection between mind and body.

https://thehealthsciencesacademy.org/health-tips/strengthen-your-muscles-by-thought-alone/

The connection between mental training and yoga can be seen in how yoga emphasizes mindfulness and intentional muscle engagement. In yoga, visualizing movements and focusing on muscle activation, even in static poses, may lead to physical benefits similar to the mental training studies. The mental focus in yoga helps create a "mind-muscle connection," potentially enhancing strength, flexibility, and muscle control, as seen in research where mental exercises alone improved muscle strength. Yoga’s meditative aspect reinforces this connection, blending physical and mental conditioning.

a few people came online to do yoga.

Yoga talk

One of the less obvious benefits of yoga is its impact on proprioception—our ability to sense where our body is in space. Many people don’t realize how much this improves balance, coordination, and even reaction times in daily life. Regular practice also strengthens the vagus nerve, which helps regulate stress, digestion, and heart rate, promoting a deep sense of calm. Another surprising benefit is how yoga can retrain habitual movement patterns, preventing injuries by encouraging more efficient and mindful movement. Over time, these subtle changes make a big difference, not just on the mat but in everything from walking to lifting and even sitting more comfortably.

A few GoodGym members came together for online yoga.

Yoga talk

static holds in yoga benefits the cardiovascular system by: 1. Enhancing Circulation – Holding poses increases blood flow and vascular function, improving oxygen delivery to muscles. 2. Reducing Blood Pressure – Slow, controlled breathing and sustained postures activate the parasympathetic nervous system, leading to lower blood pressure and heart rate. 3. Building Vascular Strength – Isometric holds strengthen blood vessels and improve endothelial function, aiding in better cardiovascular health. 4. Improving Heart Rate Variability (HRV) – Static yoga poses combined with deep breathing enhance HRV, a key marker of heart health and stress resilience. 5. Increasing Nitric Oxide Production – Yoga stimulates nitric oxide release, which helps dilate blood vessels and improve circulation.

January may be a time of New Year's Resolutions but whoever had donated all of their old office phones to the Children's Scrapstore had left a bit of a tangled mess, perfect for GoodGym to sort out!

The simple task of attaching a handset to a desktop unit sounded simple but we soon worked out it was MUCH more satisfying if the handset fitted properly into the desktop unit and made the job much harder for ourselves (as well as detangling the handset wires). We never did find the Berkshire 400 handset but we only finished half of the three huge crates, so maybe there's still hope?

Harsheh was the only GoodGymmer to take up the offer of gloves with the rest of us relying on handwashing at the end if the task - not realising quite how dusty the crates and contents were and Jo and Francesdeclaring aprons a good idea next tine were there.

The runners set off, led by Richard whilst the walkers consolidated the remaining phones to be matched ensuring wed emptied at least one of the crates (and found Mariannea Micro USB charger in the mix.

The Scrapstore staff had enjoyed having us back in the warehouse and we'd improved the 80s song knowledge of some of the younger GoodGymmers with Blondie classics "Hanging on the telephone" and "Call me" before descending into cannibalising phone sets and Fine Young Cannibals renditions. A great time all round.

A second task for Marianne and I to facilitate the return home of Ms G from nursing care.

Having previously created some space in Ms G’s living room to enable a hospital bed to be set up for her, our task today was to remove a juke box from the living room to the chalet hut in the garden which was now housing quite a bit of furniture as well as a bar (Ms G could throw some great parties in there!).

Helped by K, Ms G’s care practitioner, we had the juke box moved to it’s new location in no time, creating enough space for a chest of drawers to be moved down from a bedroom upstairs.

We discovered that the drawers would not come out of the chest and so K suggested that we leave things be. Marianne and I had other ideas, so we decided to empty the drawers and give it a go.

The turns were tight, the unit was heavy, the drawers would not stay shut and a stairlift threw in another complication but we were not to be defeated.

We carefully negotiated our way downstairs with the chest of drawers and ourselves mercifully intact and unharmed and placed the unit where the juke box had been.

This was a proper good workout with a big impact as a micro environment can now be set up for Ms G and she can come home. What a difference GoodGym missions can make!