She stood at the Eiffel Tower and saw thousands of people queuing to watch her son play in the Olympic final. She herself had already won another kind of gold – the trust of the Swedish people. With Home Gym with Sofia, Sofia Åhman has become one of the country's most popular fitness profiles. Now she is back with new programs.

When the pandemic came and most things were closed, including all gyms, it was difficult for many to exercise. Then a retired couple called the switchboard at SVT and said: ”Can’t you make a TV show where you can move, do you want us to just sit around and die?”

When INLAND meets up with fitness profile Sofia Åhman over Zoom, she is sitting in what looks like a home office. Behind her are shelves filled with binders, books and framed photos. She is wearing a black long-sleeved shirt, her hair is cropped short and she looks lively and happy. She has just come home from a day at the upper secondary school in Umeå, where she works as a physical education teacher.

– Today I went skiing with a group of newcomers who have been able to stand on a pair of skis for the first time in their lives, she says, smiling happily. We barely got around the corner from the school before I had to take off my skis and mostly run around and pick up everyone who had fallen. They come from all sorts of countries that don't have snow, so they are not used to winter sports. They all had fun. Having fun is one of the most important things for Sofia when she teaches sports and inspires exercise and everyday training. This is not least noticeable in the popular TV programs Hemmagympa med Sofia that SVT began broadcasting during the pandemic. She had previously participated regularly in Go'kväll and there ran training sessions that were loved by the viewers. Sofia is a master at finding exercises that suit everyone.

– When the pandemic came and most things were closed, including all gyms, it was difficult for many to exercise. Then a retired couple called the switchboard at SVT and said: ”Can’t you make a TV program where you can move around, do you want us to just sit and die?” During that time, SVT broadcast a
lots of reruns so that people could watch TV all day, but many got bored and looked for inspiration to get moving. SVT took advantage of the pensioner couple's idea. They called Sofia and asked if she could put together ideas for a program series.

– It was a quick turnaround because they called me on a Friday after lunch and the first episode was supposed to air on Monday, says Sofia, laughing.

– They said: ”We have a photographer, but you have to figure out what to do, how to set it up and where to film it.” So the first five episodes were filmed in my mother’s apartment while she was out walking the dog. Home Gym with Sofia quickly became a viewer favorite. She herself believes that one of the reasons was that the program format is simple.

– The programs are not cut, everything is filmed with one camera and they are not edited at all. This means that the programs are not always perfect, but we do it together and it doesn't matter if I say something wrong or if I stumble. When we started broadcasting, many viewers contacted us and said that they thought it felt like we were friends, because the program layout became very natural and they waved at me when I waved at them from the TV screen. Each episode was only 20 minutes long, and most people have time for that.
This makes the workout affordable even for those who are not used to working out. The program is just a camera and me, no music, no cool celebrities. And no one is voted out. The best thing about working out at home is that it is easily accessible. You don't need any special equipment or expensive shoes. You can stand in your pajamas and work out barefoot. On March 23, SVT will start broadcasting new episodes of Hemmagympa with Sofia.

– I have done 185 episodes, and now I am doing 20 more. Some exercises will of course come back and I try to come up with new variations too. I know which muscle groups I want to work with and then I can
I try my hand at it. The hardest part is finding exercises that you can also do on a chair, so that you create an easier and a heavier alternative to each exercise – for example, if you have bad knees but still want to do the exercise. Or if you have difficulty with balance and still want to do the exercise.
Sofia has always been interested in exercise and sports.

– As a child, I did a lot of gymnastics, especially team gymnastics. I thought it was fun to work in a group, but not to be a ball player. I competed in team gymnastics and in what was then called
rhythmic gymnastics with balls, ribbons and such. As an adult, I was more drawn to dance and aerobics. When I lived in Stockholm and studied to be a physical education teacher, I didn't take out any loans, but to support myself, I went around and led aerobics classes in the evenings. Then came body pump, spinning and so on, and then I started leading that kind of group training. I think it's fun to train in a group, you get a great energy and you encourage each other. I think it's much harder to go to the gym and train with machines and weights. I still do it because I know it makes me feel good and that I need it. Now that I'm a little older, I enjoy being out in nature more and more, going for walks in the forest or going for a leisurely ski session, or hiking in the mountains.

I find it much more difficult to get to the gym and work out with machines and weights.

How do you combine everything? You seem to have so many irons in the fire, with TV, training trips, lectures and so on?
– I am employed by the municipality as a physical education teacher, and I work a lot on weekends, evenings and school holidays. I like doing practical things and meeting people, but I get help with bookkeeping and such. I have an accountant and my husband helps me with booking trips and the like. Has your family always been sporty?

– Yes, we are all interested in sports and outdoor activities. My husband is an orienteer and we like to travel and move around. Our children played a lot of different sports as children, but then they both got hooked on volleyball. It wasn’t a sport that my husband or I had played, but we thought it was a nice sport – without tackles and fights. They started with regular volleyball, but they got hooked on beach volleyball where there are only two players on the team and therefore you do everything, compared to when there are six players. There are many indoor beach volleyball courts in Sweden today, but the sport is most popular in countries with warm climates. The children
discovered early on that you can play with anyone on the beach as long as you have a ball

FAVORITE PLACES IN SWEDEN
– I have a cottage in Hemavan and I really love the Swedish mountains. I think our Swedish mountains are underrated, but I think more and more people are starting to find their way there, even in the summer to hike. I like going up to high places and looking out over beautiful views.
– The west coast is beautiful. I like when there are cliffs and salty swimming. We don't have that at all up here in Norrland. So it's fun to come to places in Sweden that for me almost feel like being abroad.
– The High Coast. I grew up in Örnsköldsvik and every time I go around the High Coast I am struck by the dramatic nature. They became good and then it became fun. Our daughter Fanny went to the USA and played there for four years and had her university education paid for, but now she plays for fun and has another job. David has it as his job, he became a professional when he was 16, when he and his friend Jonatan participated in the Youth Olympics in Argentina. It is fun to follow the sport and means many exciting trips abroad for the whole family.

I never could have imagined that I would come to an Olympics where my own child played – or even won.

Two years ago, your son David Åhman and Jonatan Hellvig won Olympic gold in Beach Volleyball in Paris. What was that experience like for you as a mother?

– I have always dreamed of going to an Olympics and experiencing it. I never could have imagined that I would come to an Olympics where my own child played – or even won. Before the game I was more nervous than I have ever been in my entire life! As a parent, you think about more than just the game. You have
mother's eyes on. You think: How are they going to handle the pressure with so many people, with all the media, the mental pressure. When I was standing there at the Eiffel Tower in Paris and queuing with everyone else to get in, I thought: Oh my God, all these many thousands of people are going to come in and see my David.

You inspire many people to exercise and train. Who/who inspires you?

– Right now I am most inspired when I see older, fit people who continue to be active and play sports well into their old age. They are my role models! What will you be doing in ten years?

– I travel, hike, ski and work out with others. Hopefully I continue to inspire people to get moving – and imagine if I have grandchildren, that would be fun!

3 QUICK
Watching: Series. Right now I'm watching The Killer on SVT Play.
Reading: The Hjortronmyren by Ulrika Lagerlöf.
Gets you feeling refreshed and happy: Nice weather, good coffee and beautiful nature. An unbeatable combo!

SOFIA ÅHMAN
Age: 55 years
Family Husband Fredrik, physical education teacher, children Fanny, 26 years old, and David, 24 years old.
Bor Umea
Occupation Physical education teacher, training expert at SVT, group training instructor and author of several popular training books, including Träna hemma med Sofia and Träna ute med Sofia.
Currently New episodes of Home Gym with Sofia will begin airing on SVT on March 23.