Exercise will do you and your community good

There never seems to be enough time in the day.  You wake up, eat, commute, work, hit the gym, commute, and eat again before heading to bed.  As you repeat this routine day in and day out, there isn’t much space in there to give back to your community.  What do I mean by community? Your friends, neighbours, colleagues, and people who would benefit from your skills. Here are four examples of initiatives that allow you to multi-task your workouts while helping others.

Like animals?
Cinnamon Trust– Help out the elderly and terminally ill by walking their dogs or playing with their cats.  These pets are constant companions for people who might be bound to stay at home due to their health.  Their pets have needs too, such as regular exercise too. You can also foster a pet should the owner have to go into the hospital for a few days.

Prefer people?
Good Gym– Founded in London but expanding rapidly across England, this non-profit  has two programs to get you sweaty.  The first is performing manual labour for people or companies in the local area.  As a group, you may run to the selected location and clear a garden for an elder or paint the new community centre.  The other aspect to the Good Gym is being pair with a ‘coach’ (an isolated elder).  You will literally run to their home for a visit and then run back home again.

Want to empower women?
A Mile In Her Shoes- If you love running and helping women, this charity can use your help.  Simply obtain your Leader in Running Fitness with UKA and then volunteer at one of the many run clubs across London.  A Mile In Her Shoes work with women who are at risk or affected by issues related to homeless.  You can help these women get back on their feet too by encouraging, coaching and running.

Help orphans with Down Syndrome
RODS Racing– This global team of endurance athletes is recruiting athletes.  For every mile you run, bike, swim, your pledges and donations will help an orphan with Down Syndrome.  RODS raises $15,000 (~£11,000) for one orphan at a time.  This is half of the fees incurred for adopting these special kids.  Many of the children are from countries where Down Syndrome isn’t understood or accepted.  By relieving part of the financial burden, RODS ensures these orphans find a loving home faster.

Do you have other suggestions on how to multi-task your exercise with something else?  Do you run to work? Or have ‘moving meetings’?  Leave me a comment below with your tips.

My first ever marathon, repping RODS