I had enjoyed 34 years of skiing at quite a high level with my family when I had a very bad fall resulting in a serious ACL (Anterior Cruciate Ligament) injury at the age of 58. I had to learn to walk again and it took me 6 months to be able to walk a couple of miles with ease. The physical and mental toll was so great I resigned myself that I would never ski again. The thought of going through an ACL again was too much.

 

However, as time progressed and my strength began to come back, I began to think I would like to try skiing again. The problem was that, even after a year of physio, my leg was still considerably weaker than the other and still wouldn’t bend properly. So I joined a gym but, as I didn’t know what I was doing, I soon realised that I had to engage a personal trainer if I was going to progress but I was very apprehensive about committing myself and my money to someone I didn’t really know much about.

Having got to know Matt through his NHS work and because of a recommendation from one of his colleagues, I decided to contact him and met him for an initial assessment at his nice, quiet gym. What attracted me to Matt was that he seemed to be a perfect combination of both a medically trained physio (who would be very mindful of my injured knee) and a trainer who specialises in taking people to the next stage of rehab.

At this point I was still not sure whether I wanted to risk skiing again, however, after a few sessions with Matt, both my fitness and confidence in my abilities began to grow and I realised that I really did want to try skiing again. I immediately felt confident that I was in good hands with Matt. All our sessions were very carefully tailored to my individual needs. If anything proved too much for me, he immediately adjusted the exercises. It was hard work but also fun at the same time, not least because Matt is very personable, very easy to talk to (and confide in!) and we had a laugh occasionally. An hour seemed to fly past.

After 5 months of weekly sessions with Matt, I ‘hit’ the slopes again, something I once thought I would never do again. I know that if Matt and I had not worked together, I would never have had the confidence to try skiing again.
I used to think that people who went to the gym were a bit strange as I much preferred to outdoor activities, however, I have changed my mind completely, not least because I now feel so good, both physically and mentally. I’m really sold on the benefits of strength training for keeping one fit and active as one grows older.
So, if you are reading this, and have realised that you are not as fit or strong as you used to be but would like to get back to a physical activity that you used to love, even if it’s just gardening or walking the dog up that hill which you used to do with ease, I would strongly encourage you to get some specialist help from Matt in order to help you achieve your goal, and, mostly importantly, not to give up! If, as a 60 year old women, I can return to a physically demanding sport like skiing after two years of rehab, and ski better that ever before, then you can achieve your goal too!