This 21-year-old CEO is giving boxing lessons to the elderly inspiring them to stay fit

Staying active in our lives has several benefits to our physical as well as mental health. Irrespective of age, an active and fit person can lead a better life. Bailey Greetham-Clark, a 21-year-old fitness enthusiast, has been inspiring the elderly to stay fit after his own journey. Greetham-Clark was 17 when he was struggling with school and decided to start his own business. He ended up taking a year off and developed a high amount of social anxiety during that period. He told Bored Panda, "I never left the house. It was awful and I knew that I couldn't go on like that."

"Something snapped and I just decided to go out for a run one day in a pair of jeans and plimsolls," he recounted. Things went uphill for Greetham-Clark from here on as he started running more often, exercising and eating well. "I got to a point where I felt more confident with myself and then discovered boxing alongside getting myself back into school," the fitness enthusiast expressed. He prepared for his GSCE as well as took part in amateur boxing. These things kept him on track and helped him achieve outstanding grades at school and recognition from The Times. However, he was still not sure of what he exactly wanted to do.

However, soon things changed and the personal trainer was asked to speak at a day center for adults with educational needs. He realized that these people didn't have enough access to fitness. To fill this gap, his wellness company, "Be Great Fitness," was born. During the COVID-19 lockdown, the man spent all his savings to become a personal trainer and improve people's access to fitness. "Coming out of the pandemic, we thought it was essential to bring fitness to them, especially to spread some joy and cheer. Sport and exercise cheer people up, we make jokes and laugh with everyone, and we make their day better," the business owner said, per Good News Network. The idea was a hit, as Greetham-Clark now visits 20 to 30 care homes for one-hour sessions.

During these sessions, the 21-year-old trains elderly people in boxing and introduces games to improve hand-eye coordination. He believes that they can benefit from physical exercise as they go through an age of physical and cognitive decline. He interacts with people in innovative ways as well. In one of the videos on BeGreatFitness's Instagram page (@be_greatfitness), the business owner can be seen doing colorwork with a sweet old lady called Brenda. He gradually leads her to match the pink boxing glove with pink and yellow with yellow. As Brenda accomplishes the task, there is a lovely smile on her face. The trainer tends to interact with people on a personal level and form meaningful connections.

In one of his TED Talks in December 2022, Greetham-Clark shared the idea of "Community first, fitness second." He added, "We use fitness as a tool to engage with these hard-to-reach communities." The CEO explains that if his team is conducting a session for people who have had strokes, they ensure that they are talking, building a relationship and speaking "with" and not "to" these people. The aim at the end of the day is to help the people have maximum benefits. The trainer shared they would "sit with a cup of tea or crack open some biscuits." Clark knows this isn't what happens at a usual fitness class, but he wants to break all barriers to engage with the community. "Fitness can be a great reliever of the stress of everything," the "Be Great Fitness" founder remarked. So, he has made it his mission to understand vulnerable communities and make fitness accessible to them.

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