“October 2019 found me in hospital having a total knee replacement. Wear and tear, two nasty falls and arthritic changes had worn out my knee. I was pretty low and felt I was getting old. However, I had a great surgical team and equally great rehab physio. After many months of rehab on Zoom and what felt like, and probably was, thousands of squats, my physio told me it was time to find a strength and conditioning gym. I heard only the word ‘gym’ and this conjured up images of subterranean rooms full of muscled youngsters pumping iron and pounding treadmills. Where would I fit in?

Fortunately, my friend Jan had just joined Ady Watts and so I thought I would give it a go. I have not looked back. Everyone was so welcoming and encouraging from the start. Programmes are adjusted to suit all different needs. I don’t worry that I might be damaging my replacement knee or speeding up the deterioration of the other knee. I know that I am being looked after as an individual by a team of experienced and interested professionals.

The third lockdown was the hardest of the past year, but I have found being part of the gym community has really helped. Participating in the live (the Ady Watts team shifted effortlessly to online and provided equipment) Small Group Personal Training classes gave me some structure to my day. 

Through my strategy sessions with Ady I have also fine-tuned my training and feel I am making progress. In these abnormal days when everything seems out of our control, I feel I do have some control over my wellbeing and health and the gym has played a major part in that.”