POST LOCKDOWN LONDON

​I spent my lockdown in London. My home is usually back in northern Italy but I was coincidentally in London at the Intensive Rehab Unit in Bisham Abbey when Italy went into lockdown and so decided that there wasn’t much point going home. Naively I thought I would only be in London for a few weeks... we’ll 3 months later and I’m still here! 
 
When we were in full lockdown I focused on doing online courses, online translation work and rehab for my knee. However, like most people, I was desperate to find something to do. I knew I couldn’t ski again until September so I started to apply for jobs anywhere and everywhere. My choice was limited given that I couldn’t stand for more than an hour at a time with my knee which meant supermarket and fruit picking jobs were out the window. Then as lockdown slowly lifted, a young ski racer got in touch to ask about some fitness training. I took on the job and we started doing a 3 socially distanced sessions a week. I know I’ve always enjoyed coaching and working with teenagers and younger athletes; I like giving them the opportunities (and more!) which I had when I was younger.
 
The fitness training was going well and as weeks passed a few family friends started asking me for training and I decided to expand. I advertised my services and was overwhelmed with the response. I now have over 15 clients, ranging from teenagers to people in their 60s. A lot of the people I train are keen skiers and others are just looking to improve their general fitness. Every program I write is different and tailored to the client. The client also receives all their programs complete with links to videos of me doing every exercise.
 
One area which has gathered a lot of interest and which I really enjoy is training teenagers. Most kids have really missed out on sports over the last few months. All the running around and games they played at school have ground to a halt. Kids can go out on a bike ride or a run but that quickly loses excitement so my aim is to get them interested in fitness and make it fun for them. It should be something to look forward to and not a burden. All of my sessions are bodyweight or use resistance bands which means I can really focus on getting people’s technique right. I think this is essential for young people; if they do decide to go into lifting weights in the future then their form will be great and in the long run they will avoid common injuries from bad technique like back and hip problems. We can also work on motor skills which will help them when they get back to playing school sports like field hockey, lacrosse, netball, football etc.
 
At the moment my plan is to remain in London until the end of September and then it’ll be time to head back to the snow. My own fitness is doing really well, I join in with all the sessions I write and I’m cycling about 100km around London every week! To everyone who is already back on snow, I hope you are enjoying every second of it.