Extraordinary stories of ordinary people who are changing the place where they live.
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The Green Gym
FridayÌý11 February
Dylan Winter joins Gary Piggott and members of the Rochdale Green Gym on a workout.
Gary Piggott and members of the Rochdale Green Gym
Would you swap your trainers for a pair of wellies and trade the warmth of the gym for the great outdoors? In this week's Changing Places Dylan Winter meets the people who have done just that, and joins a workoutÌýwith a difference.
The first Green Gym was established in 1997, when Oxfordshire GP Dr William Bird needed to find a way to get his patients fitter and more active, when leotards and leggings weren't exactly their cup of tea.
Dr BirdÌýcalled in theÌýBritish Trust for Conservation Volunteers (BTCV) who stationed a conservationist in the surgery toÌýgather a group of volunteers to get down and dirtyÌýwhilst losing a few pounds in the process.
The basic ideaÌýwas to help people get fit, make friends, and do valuable conservation work at the same time.
But can working outside really make you happier and healthier or is this just a clever way to recruit conservation volunteers? And more importantly, is it an enjoyable way to spend a winter's morning?
When Dylan joins in on a session with the Rochdale Green Gym, he discovers there are plenty of opportunities to work up a sweat - from cutting down trees, to hedge-laying and leaf-raking.
According to some scientists, burning your calories outdoors - whatever the weather - can be better for your health than burning them indoors.
