“Exercise is Essential for Your Mental Health and Happiness”

Jumping Jacks for Joy –

November 30, 2020 – Just weeks after working out for 24-hours solid and raising over £2.5 million for Children in Need, Joe Wicks, AKA The Body Coach, shares his thoughts on movement for mental health benefits, parenthood and how meditation helps to quiet his always busy brain, on Happiful’s podcast. On top of his mammoth televised workout and keeping the nation moving throughout 2020, Joe has written and now released a new book 30 Day Kick Start Plan. The emphasis, he shares, is slightly different from his earlier work, as he wants to drive home the mental health benefits of movement.

“It used to be all about the physical transformations for me. I’d talk about ‘lean in 15’, fat loss, getting lean and burning body fat. With my new book, I talk about the mental health benefits of exercise. I’ve realised over the years, that people mention those benefits more than the physical; sleeping better, having more energy, feeling happier, less stressed and being more patient with the kids.

“These are the things I really want to promote now,” Joe continues. Although Joe shares that he’s exhausted from a year that has seen him constantly on the move, he’s both upbeat and looking forward to the future when he speaks to Happiful. “I’m 35 years old and I really feel like I’ve only just started at what I could achieve in my lifetime.”

Joe speaks with an openness and honesty that may be harder to find in someone else who has reached his level of success and public accolade. He’s always keen to emphasise that there’s no shortcut to achieving your goals. “My work has been a ten-year ‘overnight success’, I always talk about that,” Joe shares. “I worked so hard as a personal trainer in the early days with my boot camp, and nobody would turn up but I didn’t give up. I believed in myself. “The same thing happened with YouTube, when I first posted, nobody was watching and nobody subscribed. All of these things take such a long time but if you’ve followed me from who I was on day one to who I am today, I’m exactly the same Joe. I have the same passion and the same enthusiasm. I’m just a little bit older!”