Hear from some of our previous participants

Louise Handley - Head of Employee Relations (HR Division)

Having left it to the very last minute to try and assemble an HR team and ending up with enough interest for two, I put democracy to one side and allocated myself as one team captain and Raj Lakhani as the other…knowing full well that, in doing so, I was putting two ultra-competitive (and moderately sporty) people at the collective helm.  The next 100 days then became as much a learning experience about team motivation and group dynamics as it was about getting fitter and healthier.  I don’t think this was a happy accident, but part of the clever design of GCC. 

I was lucky to have found myself with a team of mixed activity levels, but equal commitment and drive.  It didn’t matter whether you were running half marathons or swapping the lift for the stairs; we all found ways to get moving more than we had before.  As the challenge got into its latter stages, the greatest improvements were in those who started with the lower step counts.  This was fantastic to see – for me, GCC is very much about improving health and wellbeing and not just maintaining your usual fitness status quo.

As much as possible, we tried to make GCC a social affair in the HR office, including an “everyone welcome” approach to any activities we organised, irrespective of whether you were doing the challenge.  I pride myself on organising the team’s best/worst pub crawl, depending on how you look at it, as everyone was having such a great time they refused to leave the first pub…but at least that was in St. Katherine’s Docks and we must have chalked up about 6,000 steps each getting there.

I feel privileged to now be able to help organise this fantastic programme for all members of staff.  I would strongly encourage anyone even half interested to think about joining a team.  It is such a great way to not only get a little fitter, but also to get to know colleagues across the School a little better and in a different capacity.  So very best of luck to all who take part and may the best team win! 

Mark Beale - Head of Finance (Residences and Catering Services Division)

Energy, vigour and great team spirit! That’s what I remember from last year’s 100 GCC days…I’m not the fittest on the planet, but I have managed the London to Brighton cycle ride a couple of times. I cycle from and back to Kings Cross each workday and last summer I tried to keep to my 10,000 daily steps which I think I increased to 12,000.

There was a samba dance teacher in my team and a very keen dog walker (keener than the dog I think!), so some tough competition which helped to keep our team within the top five LSE teams for most of the 100 days.

Each morning I would check the app to ensure everybody had entered their steps… check our team average and mine against the others in the team and other teams… It kept me motivated…And it kept us talking; a real buzz.

Last year I was on the third floor of Aldwych house – not too far to walk up… Now I’m on the fifth floor of the Library… Hmmmm?  A challenge too far? I hope not!

I prefer cycling or swimming to running…I spent a week on a Greek island – more swimming. Great to log in each day just to ensure I was keeping up! Sadly it wasn’t until within the last few weeks of the challenge that I discovered the Lido where I live. A full size (50 yards) heated pool. Bliss!  36 lengths in around an hour and I’d clocked up a mile!

I recall one Sunday when I was up at 5.30, had done 30 cycling miles by 9, then a jog along the river before lunch , and a mile swimming in the sunshine in the lido in the late afternoon. All three in one day – that was my best day of the challenge. 

I can quite honestly say I have been waiting for this year’s challenge to begin… especially through the winter months… The lido opens on May 23rd… come on team… 

Joanne Hay - Department Manager (Management)

When the GCC challenge was announced last April, I was (quite seriously) overcome with excitement….  When I was coming up to 40, I decided I could be fat, or I could be fit. Or, at least if I wasn’t slim, I would at least be fit!! So, I had already changed my lifestyle – instead of cycling, I had started to walk into work every day (10km), and I have been doing “challenges” such as long cycles or swimathons, for the past few years. I have found that the walk into work stimulates thought processes and I’m often amazed at how much work thinking I can do during the 1.5 hours each morning (come rain, wind, snow or shine).

So, already somewhat (many would say very) competitive, I was very happy to be a member of the DoMinatrix crew (the overall winners of GCC 2014 at LSE). We organised weekly lunch time events, where one of us would lead an activity (walking around London, tennis, ping pong etc), and over the summer months, I would often be seen with members of my team having 121s marching around Lincoln’s Inn Fields. Instead of pizza Friday lunches, it was a walk somewhere around central London.  My flat was always super clean, the ironing always promptly attacked, and my partner therefore a very happy man!!

However, whilst there is a competitive edge to the challenge, it’s much more about getting fit and developing a healthier lifestyle. The most touching stories that I heard were about people who didn’t really do any exercise at all, getting up to 10,000 steps per day.  And there was a great camaraderie – at meetings, there would often be talk of how many steps individuals had done.

It’s also obsessive…. I managed to increase by average step count by over 8,000 steps per day over the 100 day challenge and my start count was already pretty high. I would do mini triathlons in the gym just to make myself work that bit harder! In case anyone is wondering how I managed to fit the day job in, I did, I just had to get up at 6am in the morning so I could fit in a few hours of exercise before work!!  At weekends, I was willing to take on pretty much any activity and we’d often walk rather than taking the tube, or play an extra hour of tennis, and then have a long swim. 

You will see I’m a little exercise crazy (as if that will come as a shock to those who know me), but the endorphin hit is very addictive, and I would totally recommend the challenge to anyone at all looking to improve their work/life balance and fitness.