MATT IS BACK - Q&A

Matt Barker is back from his two year working holiday in London and we are stoked to have him back. I’m sure there are plenty of people super happy to know Matty is back. We’ve asked him some questions on his fave parts of Europe. We also asked for the latest food spots from BIM’s resident foodie. Matt was working in one of the worlds most fancy Physio clinics so we wanted to know how that was also.

Matt Q&A

1.How was being a Physio in London? What were some of the skills you picked up whilst there

I was working in an amazing clinic called Vanbrugh Physiotherapy (go check it out if you’re ever in London) which had a big multi disciplinary team and housed an amazing gym just for the physios use with patients. It had all kinds of rehabilitation gear, including an Alter-G Treadmill, running track and squat rack. It also had a separate pilates/wellness studio that housed any kind of pilates equipment you could think of so I was very lucky to spend my time there with an amazing team that is super skilled and also at the top of the game in the Connect Therapy world just like BIM.

I’ve always considered myself an extremely hands on physio and my time there really hammered home for me how important a thorough and targeted rehab program is for achieving those goals. I was able to be in a space to increase my knowledge around strength and conditioning and how that can benefit all populations and especially athletes of any level. 

2. Where was your favourite place to visit and why?

This is obviously a super tough decision but I would go with absolutely anywhere in Italy. I was super fortunate to be able to spend a lot of time there (shout out to the Di Stefano family) on multiple occasions and everywhere is more beautiful than the last place and the food my god the food!

A mentionable and very close second would have to be Copenhagen though. Amazing city with super friendly people and life just seems very easy there.

3. Coolest dining experience?

London is a massive hub in terms of food and drink and you could spend countless hours and added kilos trying new places but the number one would have to be a place called Maos which was super immersive and highly recommended. 

That said, my absolute favourite to go was always a restaurant called Sager + Wilde. I’m a bit biased as my mate was the manager and it had an amazing wine list but more importantly met some of the best humans on the planet there. 

If anyone needs a list of places to go and I have plenty!!

4. Why London and what is it like living without sunshine?

Honestly a big reason I moved was that I thought it sounded like a great idea after a few drinks with one of my mates and from there it just seemed to grow and eventuate. I grew up in Sydney and was looking for a change of some form so I figured the best way was to do the complete opposite so I moved over to the land of grey and no surf and didn’t look back. My mates thought I wouldn’t last 6 months but 4 years and a global pandemic later I decided it was time to enjoy the sun and surf again along with the sandwiches from The Shop and Wine Bar.  

As for no sunshine I really struggled in my first winter. I was tired a lot for no reason at all (except after the nights at the pub) and had troubles finding motivation to get out of bed due to the lovely grey that was projected through the window. I spoke to some fellow expats and found some Vitamin D helped restore the balance and make sure you have a holiday planned in February/March so you had something to make the winter seem a bit shorter. Having said that, I do think they do Christmas way better.

5. What’s one thing people don’t know about you?

I’m a massive Star Wars nerd and am proud of it (I’m looking to get the millennium falcon tattooed on me at some point). I’ve managed to read a heap of the books, watched every side series known to man and even have a signed figurine from Kenny Baker so if you want to come in and chat about the upcoming Kenobi series I’m all ears.