Namita Nayyar:
You have glowing skin and gorgeous hair. Share with us your hair care and skincare routine.
Arjola Dedaj:
Ahahah, this question makes me laugh. In reality, since we became parents and we have to manage between sports life, work, and parenting, the time available for us is really little if not zero. I do the bare minimum, even though I like to take care of my body. However, I use products suitable for my skin and hair, but all in a very essential way. I would like to do something more, but there will be time for that too!
Namita Nayyar:
You attended ballet classes at the age of 20, followed by six national baseball championships for the blind titles with Milano Thunder’s Five. Tell us more about this period of your life and how it led you to develop into a world-class athlete.
Arjola Dedaj:
When I discovered everything blind people could do thanks to the contact with the Institute for the Blind in Milan, I began to explore. Dance was a hobby I had started before, and then I discovered that team sports like baseball could also be done, I tried this sport, and I immediately fell in love with the group, the sport, and the complicity that was breathed in those environments. Thanks to this sports path, I resurfaced, rediscovering in myself the abilities that I didn’t highlight before. I rediscovered my character, strengthened this aspect, and consolidated social relationships without fear of prejudice.
Namita Nayyar:
Five athletic leisure brands you love to wear.
Arjola Dedaj:
I’m not particularly addicted to brands, except for the sports one that provides technical support for the activity. For the rest, I like to wear what makes me comfortable, expresses my personality, and makes me feel at ease. Open to everything. There are moments when I like to dress sporty, comfortable, and fast. Other times, I love being elegant or sober.
Namita Nayyar:
Five travel destinations on your wish list.
Arjola Dedaj:
Japan because I missed the trip to Tokyo, Paris is the goal I dream of reaching with my partner Emanuele for the 2024 Paralympic Games, America is the trip I would really like to take with my family, Australia because I imagine their landscapes and I would like to experience them for a while, Finland always with my family to take my son now that he is still young.
Namita Nayyar:
Tell us a day in the life of ‘Arjola Dedaj’.
Arjola Dedaj:
We wake up in the morning, about 1.5 hours before leaving, a rich breakfast for everyone, including coffee, which is essential for us, then varying (yogurt, dried fruit and fresh fruit, cereals/toast, tea) or (eggs and bread and fruit) etc. all in a hurry, preparation, and accompanying the child to daycare. For the rest of the day, we organize ourselves among the various commitments, alternating and managing between training, work, physiotherapy, and picking up the child, spending time with him in the park or other activities, then we return home exhausted before dinner where we do the usual household activities of every family, cooking, showering, tidying up, and early bedtime to recharge our batteries.
Namita Nayyar:
During the Covid pandemic what was your fitness routine to remain fit in those challenging times?
Arjola Dedaj:
Like everyone else, we tried to adapt workouts with what we had available, many exercises with bands, using household items to somehow stay in shape, a difficult, worrying period, which made us find ourselves having to manage in a confined space for 24 hours straight. even if in reality this didn’t scare us much because Emanuele and I already spent a lot of time doing almost everything together, we were always very united and complicit, with a child, the situation was even more tiring because we always had to look for activities to keep him engaged and stimulated.
Trying to make him experience that difficult period not as a trauma, but as a game, we always involved him even in this phase, difficult for them to understand. In this bad period, the positive note is that we appreciated and experienced every phase of our child’s first years of growth, who was only two years old at the time.
Namita Nayyar:
Quote you live by.
Arjola Dedaj:
Nothing is impossible if you really believe. Don’t let negative experiences overwhelm you, but let them be fuel to recharge and find a way out.
Disclaimer
The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
