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Combining exercise with volunteering works out for members of a UK alternative to gyms
GoodGym's 26,600 members in 67 UK locations report improved mental wellbeing through combined physical activity and volunteering, reducing loneliness and enhancing life satisfaction.
- GoodGym, the volunteer-running organisation, combines exercise with community service, boasting over 26,600 members and local meetups in 67 locations across England and Wales.
- Wanting to make exercise more useful, Ivo Gormley, founder, began running to deliver a newspaper and organised group runs to help neighbours, lowering barriers and supporting members seeking in-person socialising.
- Surveying 3,600 people, Christian Krekel of the London School of Economics found that blending volunteering with exercise improved six aspects of mental wellbeing.
- During the COVID-19 pandemic, volunteers shifted to delivering prescriptions and welfare checks for isolated older adults, often jogging or cycling to solo home visits that also provide safe running opportunities for women.
- Expansion plans include GoodGym, a registered charity, starting new groups in Northern Ireland and Scotland as the research team hopes the findings could shape public mental-health policy.
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19 Articles
19 Articles
Associated Press News+17 Reposted by 17 other sources
Combining exercise with volunteering works out for members of a UK alternative to gyms
A nonprofit organization in the United Kingdom has attracted thousands of members by encouraging residents to “get fit by doing good.”
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No time for the gym and good deeds? Goodgym combines both
No time for the gym and good deeds? Goodgym combines both Community members in one London borough have formed a gym that's free to join that makes you feel fitter, healthier and helps maintain communal gardens. Subscribe: http://smarturl.it/AssociatedPress Read more: https://apnews.com This video may be available for archive licensing via https://newsroom.ap.org/home The post No time for the gym and good deeds? Goodgym combines both appeared fir…
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Total News Sources19
Leaning Left10Leaning Right0Center5Last UpdatedBias Distribution67% Left
Bias Distribution
- 67% of the sources lean Left
67% Left
L 67%
C 33%
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