By Florentina-Mirela Cercel
The pandemic has left a lot of businesses with no other choice than to close their doors and hope for reopening again soon.
Many have had to close to the public for good, others had the choice of being partially open with a bit of room for online deliveries.
Amid recent announcements from Boris Johnson, retail businesses will be allowed to open gradually in the UK, starting from April 2021, including gyms, if all the requirements are met in terms of vaccinations and Covid-19 rate going down.
How have PTs been able to keep their businesses open?
Gym enthusiasts have either given up on working out during the pandemic or became a little creative working out in their homes, improvising with items that were around them, such as a chair or rather big bottles of wine.
Nevertheless, personal trainers, or PTs, have taken this opportunity to reach people through their online communities in order to get a bit more recognition, having to transition their sessions with their clients through online platforms to be able to keep their businesses alive.
Conversations with a PT in regard to online training in lockdown
Estela Llanos, a London-based PT, has expressed in a recent interview that she was quite affected by the effects of Lockdown 1.0 when the announcement was made, having to leave her studio where she would coach her clients.
However, Llanos managed to get a positive turn around moving her business online, which is how she chooses to run her business for the time being, and quickly saw that more people have shown an interest in this type of online transition.
Given that some people have lost their jobs or put on furlough, some clients dropped out, and Estela has seen this as an opportunity to get more people moving around their comfort zone, offering a free online class on Mondays for her existing clients as well as affordable classes in general, to show her “support to them and keep the smiles during a difficult time”.
In order to motivate more people to turn to a PT, Estela also says: “Having a PT will benefit you by ensuring you learn correct form, body awareness, help keep you motivated and accountable; such powerful things that you can’t get by training on your own.”
With her online sessions experience, Llanos has admitted that initially she had some “reluctant clients” who in the end changed their perspective given that lockdown wasn’t ending any time soon, showing considerable progress.
Her training is accessible and tailored to everyone and every type of body.
Estela always encourages her clients to keep in mind “good form and body awareness”, adding that those are “two of the most important things to teach my clients and not forgetting to have fun of course!”.
The top tips Estela recommends for everyone that has been feeling a bit down during lockdown, beginner or advanced, are:
- Keep on moving
- Connect with your loved ones and nature
- Nurture your body
- Have “me time” to relax whether that is baking banana bread, watching a favourite TV series or solving a puzzle
- Get a good night’s sleep
Given that her business is online, she takes a few moments a day to share on her Instagram profile (@estelallanospt) easy and accessible workouts that can be done inside and outside of the house, as well as nutritious meals to help power through the day. This, she hopes, will inspire more people to keep in touch with their bodies and minds – and have fun while doing so.
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