For countless kids, homeschooling means sitting down and screen time… all the time. Combine this with dark evenings, no sports clubs and limited PE, and it’s a recipe for inertia. Joe Wicks is doing a sterling job with the littlies who just need to believe they’re performing star jumps with Spider Man, but for children who are older, with a more structured, desk-bound school day, we think we’ve found one better.

FitLife is state-of-the-art gym in Buckinghamshire that last year launched its own ‘FitLife Academy’, classes aimed specifically at safely training 10-15 year olds who wanted to have a gym experience but making sure that it was based on their developmental stage (critical to safe athletic development) and about lifestyle rather than body shape. It was a huge hit, so no surprises that, since lockdown, the FitLife Academy has now moved online and is now, of course, accessible to all kids.

The overall goal for the Academy is to create lifelong habits and a healthy relationship with exercise, so important at a time when kids are bombarded with ‘perfect’ manipulated social media images. Also, speaking personally as a mother, much better for them to learn these lessons through a charismatic instructor than their exasperated mum banging about fresh air and trying to hide the junk food (largely by eating it myself- yes, hypocrisy lives).

Laurence Clark (left) with FitLife owner Steve Gregory

Laurence Clark, who runs the FitLife Academy, started out as a strength and conditioning coach for professional athletes before specialising in paediatric fitness and all its extremes from, as he puts it everyone from, “PE dodgers to elite junior athletes”.

This being a class of shy 10-15 year olds, the majority of the cameras are turned off, and parents can be present – Laurence can be seen front of camera going through the exercises, chatting away, showing his ‘side view’ for best technique and turning up the music when he gets the chance. Muddy’s very own mini editor, Iris, age 13, tried a class and loved it. “I started with the camera off because I felt a bit self-conscious but once I turned it on the class was more fun and I even got quite competitive at the burpees,” she says. “I’d definitely do another one.”

There are two classes a week, both after school – Mondays and Fridays at 4.30-5.15pm. Your child can try a class for free by going to TimeTable, and selecting FITLIFE ACADEMY VIRTUAL class on Mon/Fri. Click ‘Book’ and you’ll be first asked to register (it takes seconds, don’t worry) – you need to do this so that you can be sent the secure link 30 minutes before the class. If your child enjoys it, individual classes after that cost a £5 each.

Or if, like me, you’ve stumbled on a good thing and want a problem taken off your hands for longer, there’s an exclusive Muddy discount of 10 classes for just £40 by using the code MUDDY21 at checkout – handily, that’s enough workouts to keep your kids moving until the end of Half Term!

Book your child’s free fitness lesson

FREE specialist fitness class for tweens and teens

You may also like