GoodGym Global
How Ramiz and Muzammel avoided loneliness and isolation
August 01, 2024
The UK as a foreign country
How would you make friends and connect with a community if you moved to another country?
Ramiz from Pakistan, and Muzammel from Bangladesh, faced this question after moving to the UK. GoodGym became their way to meet new people and begin forming friendships.
More than #DoGoodGetFit
For many GoodGymers, the beauty of GoodGym is it's ability to bring people together - it's social. The brain boosting benefits from doing exercise aren't to be understated either. GoodGym is a blend of feel good factors that genuinely lead to happier and healthier people, just ask the LSE.
Above it all, the people are what keep you coming back. Meeting new people, making new friends, and crossing paths with individuals you'd never have met otherwise. If you've lived in an area your whole life, it's exciting to meet someone outside your routine. And for someone new to the area, GoodGym is the perfect way to get to know the people and places of your new home.
GoodGym works because you're not focused, nor forced, to chat. As a team, you're working towards a shared goal and that helps find common ground. As you dig the local allotment a conversation may spark, you get chatting about your garden or a friends - maybe you hate gardening and maybe they do too!
What matters is you leave feeling better connected and a sense of belonging in a new place. Your new home.
Ramiz
Ramiz co-founded a charity in university which grew to a network of over 200 people. After moving to the UK he longed for that again. “I missed the work I was doing in Pakistan. When I stumbled across GoodGym it looked like a perfect fit”.
His first session led by Miriam left a lasting impression. Despite his initial nerves about keeping up with more experienced runners, Miriam’s support and the inclusive atmosphere made all the difference. "The way everyone is welcomed makes GoodGym a platform you just don’t want to leave," Ramiz said.
Muzammel
Tackling a new career as a care assistant working 4 long days per week, Muzammel found his days off felt more empty than ever before. From busy all day to unsure how to spend his time, his 3 days a week without work led to feelings of isolation and loneliness.
"After searching on Google and social media, I found GoodGym. The combination of getting active and volunteering was too good to pass up," Muzammel recalled. His first experience with GoodGym was cheering at the London Marathon, throwing him in the deep end to soak up English culture.
Since then, Muzammel has participated in various tasks, including gardening and painting in Tower Hamlets. "I love this group and this environment. Not only am I getting fitter, but I’m also practising my English and making friends. Now I know if I go to a session, I will have so many friends there."
Making a home
Both Ramiz and Muzammel found more than just a way to get active in GoodGym - they found a community that made them feel at home.
Ramiz advised, "If you have time, its always better to help the community and get fit. I have to recommend GoodGym. The welcome you get is unlike anything else and that makes you want to stay."
Muzammel adds, "I really enjoy this group and the environment. Its been great for my physical health and social life. I love that I can give back to my community while making new friends."