Ageless and athletic
People who don’t let hurdles hold them back
Through determination and resilience, people are overcoming hurdles such as fitness, age and illness. By taking up sport they are discovering that age is no reason not to achieve. These stories come from people very close to us at Nirvana Spa.
Nikki Buckingham
Nikki has been a member at Nirvana for many years, as a child she competed at synchronised swimming but gave up during her A-levels. 28 years later, Nikki met some old synchro friends who convinced her to join the Master’s team. Since having a family Nikki had struggled to find time to keep fit and was apprehensive about wearing a costume to perform. Synchronised swimming is a demanding sport and requires strength and flexibility as well as great stamina. Nikki focused on core and strength exercises and also used the swim lanes. She gradually built the stamina required. Last November Nikki competed with her team at the National Championships and won gold! Spurred on by this fantastic achievement, Nikki upped her fitness training and prepared for the World Championships. This summer in Budapest, the team were thrilled to be placed 5th.
Nikki says she feels just as nervous before competing as she did as a child but her sense of accomplishment is immense.
Sean Barley
In 2014, our CEO Sean was diagnosed with a prolapsed disc. Previously, he had been very fit and active, running marathons and playing squash. Now even the simplest of movements was excruciating. After successful surgery Sean decided to try swimming to build his stamina and rehabilitate. He began using the swim jets at Nirvana but admits it was a struggle at first – he hadn’t swum much since his school days. With a little advice and perseverance he began to see improvements in his distance. He tried a snorkel to help his breathing and reduce the twisting action and bought an underwater MP3 player.
With his swimming going from strength to strength he decided to enter several open water swims including the Windsor mile and the Long Reach Thames Swim.
This season he has pushed himself even further completing the River Dart 10K and the Scilly Swim Challenge, swimming from island to island! He has just finished the season with his first ever night swim – a little scary, he says, but great fun.
Sean’s determination to recover from his back troubles has led to great improvements in his overall fitness and strength. He has even been able to start running again and was delighted to complete the Blenheim Palace Triathlon earlier this year.
Sean says:
“Never give up even if you think your sporting endeavours are finished. There’s always something that you can take part in whatever the physical limitations. The swim jets at Nirvana have given me a new lease of life and I can’t wait to plan next year’s events. I hear the Barbados swim festival is quite good fun!”
