For many of us, maintaining optimal levels of health and fitness is far from a stable process. During the various stages of our lives and careers, we are constantly juggling workouts around family commitments, and so we realize that our own well-being takes a backseat to stressful deadlines and the desire to put a quick fix on our emotions.
On top of all this, in recent years, the relationship we have with our own bodies has been exponentially tested with global lockdowns and restrictions around gyms, providing the perfect excuse to ditch the fitness bandwagon altogether.
Enter Joe Wicks, the British “Body Coach” who became social media phenomenon for launching his “PE With Joe” YouTube fitness sessions as the UK entered its first lockdown in March 2020.
Wicks’ videos proved to be a great way for parents and their newly homeschooled children to connect and blow off some steam. Already a respected trainer and author, Wicks provided a much-needed motivational boost to viewers around the world, earning him a well-deserved MBE and a Guinness World Record for “More viewers for a fitness training live stream on YouTube” after amassing more than 950,000 views on a single video.
As a best-selling author, television host, and fitness trainer, Wicks interacts with many people of different fitness levels and appreciates that some of us need the motivation to begin our initial journey to wellness, while others require the tools to Pick up where you left off before life derailed your progress. Here, speaking exclusively with muscle and fitness, the 36-year-old man with more than four million Instagram followers puts things in perspective.
Sleep on it
There’s a reason sleep comes up again and again when we talk about our well-being, but getting enough sleep is a challenge for all of us. Even Joe Wicks himself, who sits with us in Los Angeles, is navigate jet lag while trying to find time to work out. Like the rest of us, he’s often tempted to stay up too late, but changing his routine due to his travels has forced him to reassess his own relationship with sleep.
“I’ve gotten into a really good routine here,” he says. “I wake up much earlier, like 5:30 or 6 am, I go to bed earlier to try to start the day earlier. It’s harder at home because I have my friends at Obligations, and we chat on WhatsApp, so I go to bed much later, but when I return home, I will prioritize my sleep because when you wake up before the alarm goes off it is a very pleasant feeling. You feel full of energy.”
Joe Wicks, who is a fan of Why We Sleep: The New Science of Sleep and Dreams by Matthew Walker, reiterates that the dream is the foundation of everything we do. “When you get a good night’s sleep, your hormones are in check, your stress levels go down, and you have more energy to exercise,” says Wicks. “It is quite a difficult subject to deal with because it really motivates people. Especially those with children or insomnia, so it’s a touchy subject, but I always try to promote this idea: imagine if you went to bed an hour earlier, how much better would you feel in the morning?
“It’s like a circle, isn’t it?” he adds. “Sleep, food, energy and exercise. It goes round and round and if one of those things is out of sync, the whole thing falls apart. I know from my own experience, when our babies were born, my sleep was interrupted and I felt like a zombie. You didn’t want to exercise and then you gravitate towards foods that are high in sugar and carbohydrates, and it’s a vicious cycle. We have to accept that even if we are busy and have children, we can sleep more. As humans, we’d rather be distracted and watch two hours of TV to get some ‘me time’, but that’s the sacrifice you’re willing to make in order to have no energy, feel groggy, stressed and impatient with the kids, and not be productive. at work?”
Exercise for the right reasons
New Years Resolutions and fad diets come and go, so your desire to be healthy shouldn’t simply be tied to a number on the scale. Joe Wicks says that the motivation to move your body should come from knowing that it makes you feel good, rather than allowing yourself to obsess over body image issues. “This will intrinsically bring you back to exercise,” he shares. “Because everyone wants to have energy and they want to feel good and they want to feel inspired and motivated, but that only comes after exercise, when you have that positive feeling of completing a workout. Change your thinking back around exercise as it’s all about shifting your weight and losing inches off your waist. That’s a good side effect, but once you feel positive about your mental health, the body will follow.”
The popular presenter understands that some may take longer to experience these positive effects than others. “Very overweight and unhealthy people can get headaches when they start [training]”, says Wicks. “You may feel out of breath, but you have to persevere through those initial two or three weeks because you’re going to have DOMS, and you may even feel a little sick, but until you persevere through that, you’re never going to get to that feeling where your endorphins and your brain start to feel amazing.”
Also focus on easy wins
We all have our ultimate goals, whether it’s a target weight or a defined six-pack, but it’s important to recognize the immediate gains you can make as you move toward your long-term goal, so you can be aware of the progress you’re making. achieving with your healthier lifestyle. “Break it down into little daily chunks,” says Wicks. “Today I have a list of things in my head, so a 10-minute meditation would be a win for me, in my mind. I don’t always do it, it’s hard for me (to find the time and space) to do it, but even if I miss it, I’ve done 20 minutes of stretching, so it’s still positive. I know this is good for my joints and helps keep me from getting injured. Sometimes it’s the smallest of things like ‘can I avoid going out to eat today and make a recipe at home?’”
Do not be so hard on yourself
Relaxing your fitness efforts is almost inevitable, from time to time, but make a conscious effort so those bad days don’t lead you to abandon the plan altogether. “You’re not going to be perfect every day,” says Wicks. “So, you have to accept that, and allow yourself those days where you come home, you’re stressed, the kids pick on you, and you go and have a beer or a chocolate bar and have a little blowout with some cookies. It’s human nature, but I always think, don’t let that decision, or that moment, ruin the whole week or month.”
don’t do it alone
Joe Wicks is passionate about connecting with the people who follow his workouts and nutritional guidance through his The Body Coach TV sessions or through your application. “I still continue to share free content,” he says. “For those people who are stuck in hotel rooms, quarantined, or don’t have the funds to sign up for a plan or whatever. I hear and read messages every day from people who have followed me and it has changed their lives.”
The coach has been told countless times that as his students have improved their bond with their own bodies, their relationships with children and loved ones have also improved. “I think having a training partner or someone you can talk to about your goals, like joining a Facebook group where you can talk to like-minded people… that’s a powerful thing. I have my community on Instagram, but my Facebook group has like 100,000 people and they motivate each other. Definitely talk to the people who pick you up, and if someone is putting you down, then you really shouldn’t focus on that because it’s going to derail you every time.”
Through his app, Joe Wicks can share personalized plans and guides that take into account multiple factors, such as your daily energy needs, age, and individual goals, but for anyone looking to make positive changes to their wellness, no matter how busy they are. . his schedule, Wicks’ overriding message is that, “When you lose your excuses, you’ll find your success.”
