Take a few minutes out of your day to give blood and help save lives!

He doesn’t want to be named because he’s a humble guy, but here are the charities he’s supported in November:

• Walking Home – a 37 kilometre walk from Queenscliff to Geelong to raise awareness of homelessness in our region.
• Movember – he’s growing a moustache to raise funds for men’s health issues.
• Run Geelong – running to raise funds for the Geelong Hospital Children’s Ward.
• Prevention of Violence Against Women – he has bought and is wearing a white ribbon in support of this important charity.
• Giving blood at the blood bank – blood levels are currently low, so it’s a great time to roll up your sleeve and donate blood.  We’ve got a drive going at the Gym at the moment to get as many people as possible to donate blood in November.

What a fantastic selection of charities to support and an inspiration to us all to get involved when and where we can, because every person’s small effort makes a big difference!

Despite the weather, there were smiles on everyone's faces at the Walking Home 2010 event

Walking Home is an event to raise awareness of homelessness in our region and is a 37km walk from Queenscliff to Geelong, which is taking place this Saturday, 12th November.  Not only is Geelong’s Gym a sponsor, but we’re also going to be at the event giving out free leg massages and bottles of water and Gatorade… and of course, encouraging the several hundred (possibly thousand) walkers involved in the event.

But it doesn’t stop there… 10 of my Geelong’s Gym Team are also doing the walk and personally getting involved in this worthy event.

So, I’d like to put it to anyone reading this who is in the Geelong region… get out there on the day and support the walkers.  A friendly face welcoming them into the various pit stops can make all the difference in the world when they’re tired.  Or better yet, join the walk yourself – it’s not too late to register and there are a number of different entry points, so you don’t need to feel daunted by taking on the whole walk.

And if you can’t make it on the day, why not make a donation or buy a T-Shirt from Reception.

Walking Home 2009

During the walk, the walkers camped out in the towns along the way and spoke to community groups about the impact of homelessness.

Two amazing outcomes were realized as a result of this event:

• Lots and lots of people wanted to help raise money to assist in buying shoes to give to homeless people.
• Lots and lots of people wanted the opportunity to walk an amazing distance that is way outside their normal activity regime.

This year, the Walking Home project is a one day event being held on Saturday 13^th November 2010…  a 50km walk from Queenscliff to Geelong and it’s open to the public to walk.  As the logistics of putting large numbers of walkers on the open road is too great, the rail trail will be used to the showgrounds and then the last leg of the walk is out on the streets.

There are also options of joining the walk at three alternative stages so you can do 20km, 12km or 5km if you prefer – so why not join the walk for the length which suits you best?!

A small entry fee is involved, as well as an opportunity to have family and friends sponsor your efforts.  Hopefully a lot of much needed money for Homelessness will be generated.

T-shirts are included in the 50km walk entry and also available for sale for people joining the walk at the various points.

And finally, here is your chance to walk and make a difference… not just to this worthwhile cause, but to your health and fitness.  A challenge, a goal to reach.

So put your best foot forward and start on this journey today. See the Walking Home notice board at Geelong’s Gym for the full training schedule and lots of helpful hints, plus registration details.

Geelong’s Gym is proud to be one of the sponsors of the Walking Home project and the training facility for the walkers.

Now at first glance that doesn’t seem such a big deal. So let’s break it down.

30 days….10km walked daily. Seems easy enough I hear you say.

But it is WALKING, not running.

So based on walking at 6km per hour, that’s 1 hour and 40 mins of walking every day. Too bad if it’s raining, if your work is hectic, if the kids have extra needs to be met before and after school. And what happens if you miss a day? You do the sums.

And here is the biggest hurdle-the time required to prepare for this event. There is nothing but walking to get your hips, shins, ankles and knees ready for the 187km five day hike. But all the participants have ‘normal’ lives to co-ordinate and sometimes finding the extra time is very hard.

So if you see one of the walkers in training in the gym, give them a smile and pause to ponder just what they are giving to this amazing event.

Ordinary people making an extraordinary difference.

Do you know how lucky you are to have a warm house to go home to over the winter period?

I am proud to announce that Geelong’s Gym is one of the sponsors of the Walking Home Event, a walk from Warrnambool to Geelong to raise awareness and understanding of homelessness issues in our region.

This is such an exciting initiative and we are thrilled to be involved.  The event will be taking place in November over a five day period and there’s lots to be done in the meantime.

Like what, you might ask.  It’s just walking, right?

Well, yes.  Except the participants are going to be clocking up a total of 189 kilometres over the five days!  I’m sure you’ll agree that’s quite a distance and requires a whole lot of physical and mental preparation.  And that’s where we come in, naturally.

Ann Cramp, one of the trainers at Geelong’s Gym, has already started training the participants with a tailor-made program that will elevate their walking fitness and stamina levels while ensuring that injuries are prevented.  They even have their own special Spin class once a fortnight, to add some variety to their training regime and the Spin Instructors who take those classes are contributing their time in support of the event.

You might wonder why I’m telling you about this.  I believe it’s important to support the community events and initiatives in our area, particularly when they’re for such a good cause.  Geelong’s Gym has been involved in the Geelong community for 45 years and we’re proud to be such a significant contributor.

So, when you see some of the participants training in the gym, why not take a couple of seconds to encourage them as they work towards the Walking Home Event.  I’m sure your support will be greatly appreciated.