Bradford kinesiology grad beefing up business amid pandemic

Bradford native Noah Duva just graduated receiving both a degree in kinesiology and a diploma in fitness and health and recently launched his own personal training business. 

It's been an odd year for the fitness industry, not being able to work with clients face to face, but Duva is looking forward to a post-pandemic world where can offer in-person fitness sessions again.

Duva has always had a passion for sports and fitness.

"I got into personal training because I can't sit still," he laughed. 

He was born with a brachial plexus injury, which causes nerve damage to his right shoulder, and is unable to straighten his right arm fully.

He had doctors tell him his shoulder function would be limited, but this made  Duva determined to beat the odds and prove them wrong. 

And he did. 

With his injury, his range of motion is limited, but due to his commitment to the exercises prescribed to him by Sick Kids Hospital, he was able to increase it. 

"I was told I would never be a goalie in hockey," he said. "And I became a goalie and played rep hockey."

He believes physical limitations are not an issue when it comes to fitness exercise and that there are ways to work around them. This is what really motivated him to get into the personal training field. 

He attended Georgian College in Barrie and obtained a diploma in fitness and health before taking a bridge course to attend The University of Guelph-Humber where he received a degree in kinesiology and a diploma in fitness and health promotion. 

The two-year program at Guelph-Humber allowed him to obtain both the hands-on and theoretical knowledge to prepare him for work in the fitness industry. 

However, six months into his program is when COVID hit, and had to do his final year and a half of learning online. 

While he was happy to save on the commute time, he did miss the hands-on aspect of the program but says the school did its best under the circumstances to provide an engaging online learning experience. 

Now with his newfound knowledge, he is applying it in the real world with the company In-Home Trainer, where personal trainers offer customized fitness sessions in the comfort of clients' homes. 

Due to COVID, these sessions have been moved online for now. 

He started with the company in March 2021, and has a handful of clients in the Bradford and Newmarket area, working with them online and customizing their workout programs. Duva creates exercise routines for his clients with a unique software program and shares them virtually on his screen. 

He is hoping to get back to in-person training sessions this summer, as COVID restrictions ease. 

"I find that people are more eager for face-to-face contact than they are virtual when it comes to someone prescribing them exercise," he said. 

With COVID, he notices more people are becoming more health-conscious, with many working from home, becoming sedentary. 

"There are always reasons why you can't (work out)if you look hard enough," he said. 

Looking ahead, he hopes to build up his clientele and pass on his drive for overcoming adversity and challenge. 

"People have been more aware of their health and I want to pass that on and help people get to goals we know they can get to," he said.  "I wanted to share my story with clients and get them to overcome things that they thought they wouldn't be able to."

Duva has lived in Bradford his whole life and looks forward to growing his career as a personal trainer in the place he calls home. 

To learn more about Duva and his personal training journey or to book a session, follow him on Instagram @coachnduva or call 289-383-2552 or email [email protected].