Good Morning

Rain was threatening us as we gathered on Mabley Green this morning for our special starter session. But that didn't bother us none cos it's National Apple Day and we had pledged to help EcoActive, Mabley Green User group and Sanctuary Housing Association get set up for the day's apple-related festivities on Mabley Green which was to include crafts, face-painting, apple juicing, pressing and bobbing, apple bird feeders and seed bombs. HardCORE!

Welcome

At 10am regulars Sarah, Patrick, Dave and Simon joined first timers Manju, Lucy, Arron, Kasia, Monica, Catarina and Laura. Since it was a bit chilly we did a few aerobic exercises to get the blood pumping then explained the different ways you can get involved with GoodGym: group runs, missions and coach runs. All great ways of doing good while getting fit(ter).

The Gym Bit

Cups and cones, cones and cups

We had twenty minutes or so before our services were required so we started with an old classic: Cups and Cones. Several cones and cups (i.e. upside down cones) were spread out randomly and each GoodGymmer was given either a cup of cone designation. The cups' goal was to make the cones into cups and the cones' goal to make the cups into cones then we count all the cups and cones and see whether cups or cones had done better. Cups, cones, cups, cones, cups, cones!

We played for a good minute and cones came out on top, so our only option was to repeat the activity for a full 90 seconds while requiring a press up along with every cup/cone modification. We said it was a draw at the end cos we're nice like that and everybody was too knackered to count up. Check out the vid

Relays and Elbows

WELL warmed up now we decided to test our speed with a continuous three-team three-person relay. Sounds complicated, but basically involved running backwards and forwards high fiving team mates. And what could be better than that? We ran for a minute, worked on our elbow drive with the funnest drill ever and then completed another minute, but this time much faster and with far better technique.

CORE-dination

It wouldn't be right to go the length of Apple Day without a bit of CORE work. Time for some CORE-dination. A synchronised effort involving mountain climbs, press ups, squats, calf raises and burpees (it was sort of synchronised)

The Good Bit

Shifting

We carried tables, water and bags from shed to green, then jogged down to pick up crates and crates and crates of the good stuff (apples) from Damian's flat. A great work out for the arms.

What Day Is It?

A few of us made it absolutely clear that it was Apple Day by erecting a banner (can you "erect" a banner? Sounds weird) that proudly stated "APPLE DAY". Also provided a nice spot for our group photo.

How Many GoodGymmers does it take to put up some bunting?

Seven. You need a couple of people to hold the bunting, somebody to add extra string, somebody to cut the string, a couple of people to ties the string and somebody to make sure everything was nicely aligned.

The "Cool Down"

Indian File

Everybody looked so fresh it didn't seem quite right to just jog so we decided to do an Indian File around the green. Indian file is great for running as a group and getting a bit more speed in the legs: we all ran single file and whoever found themselves at the back of the line had to sprint to the front. We started running, then tried high knees, then finally some skipping. We looked the business.

Secret Surges

Everybody is given a secret number and then starts jogging at a nice slow pace. When your number is shouted out you have to surprise the group by surging away from them and it's their job to catch you. Sneaky lot this morning and lots of surprise bursts of speed revealed. Love it.

The Refuel

Well, of course we refuelled with an apple. They were exceedingly tasty and can normally be found at Stoke Newington Farmers' Market.

The Stretch

Finally we had a nice little stretch while munching our fruit. Yum.

The Hugs and Kisses

Well, we waved. Great efforts from everybody (as Patrick stated after: "that was tough for a starter session") and hope you can make it to Tuesday's session.

See you soon, Simon