Swimmer Joshua Yon managed to bounce back – gently – from an ill-timed bout of Covid to compete for the island of Saint Helena this summer, achieving a season-best performance – and is advising other amateur athletes to trust their bodies and not go ‘all out’ when overcoming Covid.
Luton-based Joshua (25), who is a MSK Clinician and rehabilitation therapist for Connect Health, had been preparing for the summer of sport when he contracted Covid in April. Before becoming ill, he was training six times a week, ahead of representing Saint Helena – his father’s homeland – in the backstroke, freestyle and medley relay races.
Joshua had previously competed for Saint Helena in the 2018 Commonwealth Games on Australia’s Gold Coast, and was looking forward to building on his earlier performances.
He explains:
It was certainly a curveball getting Covid when I did. Fatigue was a big issue – and while there was never a point where I thought I couldn’t compete, I knew any big disruption to my training schedule was likely to affect my performance. I hoped to get straight back into it afterwards and push myself.
A conversation with one of the musculoskeletal physicians at Connect Health led to a change in Joshua’s training plan.
Joshua says:
I was offered some great tips and I adapted my training as a result. He suggested to halve everything, and halve it again. I had to learn to recognise fatigue from the virus – it wasn’t fatigue from the endurance work. Once you start feeling that energy drop-off, you have to just stop.
It was difficult – I had to really force myself to slow down. I went down to three 45-minute training sessions per week, as that’s all I could manage, and it took about six weeks to get back to where I wanted to be.
Having worked with patients recovering from Covid, I’d always tell others to trust their bodies and take things gently. It’s not always easy to take your own advice!
In the end, I was able to chalk up my best times for the season, which I was really pleased with. It was an honour to represent Saint Helena again, this time in England – my mum is English so it was like a home crowd for me.
Next year, Joshua hopes to join the Saint Helena team in the Island Games in Guernsey as an official, utilising the skills and experience from his three years at Connect Health.
It was exciting to see new talent coming through this year and was great for me to take a role as a more mature athlete, helping them – I’d love to do more of this.
For the Island Games next year, I’m hoping to provide land-based training, strength and conditioning, to the team.
Joshua has the following tips for getting back into sport following Covid:
- Never dismiss fatigue – it’s key to recognise post-Covid fatigue and to rest accordingly, rather than going all-out as soon as you start feeling better.
- Start at 25% of your original schedule, or even lower.
- Some discomfort after training can be normal, particularly after an extended break, but it should settle within 24 hours. Seek professional advice if it doesn’t.
- Consider mixing up your usual training regime – add more weights and conditioning if cardio feels like a struggle.
- Stay positive – recovery is a marathon not a sprint! A patient, positive mindset makes a huge difference.
Connect Health is a provider of Long Covid community rehabilitation services, helping to reduce fatigue, pain and other physical symptoms, improve physical and psychological functioning and promote self-management, health education and healthy lifestyles to minimise health risks.
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