00:00Hello, I'm Joe Wicks and I'm on a mission to help people feel good, look after themselves and really take care of their mental health.
00:06I'm really proud to be involved in the BBC's mental wellbeing season because it's something I'm so passionate about.
00:11You know, I obviously do a lot in the movement space and with the cooking and nutrition, but underlying everything really is mental health.
00:19As a kid I do remember having a lot of anxiety in my body and a lot of kind of fear and stress around my dad being a drug addict.
00:25It was very unstable, so one minute he was there, then he wasn't. My mum also had eating disorders and OCD around cleaning, so it was quite a confrontational home life.
00:34That manifested inside my body and the only way I could release it was through physical exercise.
00:39So I learnt when I ran or did some kind of exercise, you know, sport in school, I was really able to control my emotions and regulate how I felt.
00:46Because what I realised about myself is that my mum and dad had their mental health issues going on and it was like a secret that no one talked about, but it was affecting me so much.
00:54So when one person is struggling with their mental health, it affects the whole family.
00:58And so I always think if I can get a child talking or a parent talking or someone communicating better, actually everyone benefits from it.
01:04And if one person starts exercising or one person falls in love with nutrition and cooking, it can really elevate the whole family.
01:10I called it the Feel Good Challenge, so I really want you to tap into how exercise makes you feel.
01:15You can get through life on a really unhealthy diet of zero exercise, but you're not thriving.
01:20And to take care of your mental health, you've got to be taking care of your physical health, they're so interlinked.
01:24I think sometimes it comes down to the basic things, those small little daily wins, which I always come back to, which is, you know, sleep, movement and putting good food in our bodies.
01:32I'm always going to be someone that champions exercise and movement.
01:34Last 15, fast!
01:35But of course, for some people, they're not going to be able to do like a HIIT workout or a really intense strength training session, but the truth is all movement is good for you.
01:42Even the most gentle of walks or doing a bit of stretching, even some chair-based exercise, you know, just moving.
01:47It's just about finding what works for you, a little bit, you know, here and there, focusing on that small daily wins mentality.
01:53It doesn't have to be like a really long, intense hour of exercise.
01:58I think the easiest and most basic way of introducing physical exercise and movement into your life is by walking more.
02:04You know, a lot of people, we jump on the bus, we get the train, but if you can, do a bit more walking.
02:08It's a great way of just, you know, burning some energy, making you feel good.
02:12And if you can do it outside as well, I think, you know, getting fresh air and being in the sunlight, I think it's also really important for our mental health.
02:17I'm also a big fan and kind of proponent of home workouts because I believe that with your body and no equipment in a tiny little space, you can actually get yourself moving.
02:26You can raise your heart rate, you can build some strength.
02:28Don't feel pressure to have like a really expensive gym membership or a personal training, you know, that's not accessible to most people.
02:34Whereas actually, you know, jumping on a YouTube video or something or doing a workout at home in your living room is really achievable.
02:40And you can do 10 minutes or 20 minutes, it's done, you can do it in your underwear, you know, do it when the TV's on, go for breakfast and you're off to work and you've done it.
02:47So there's loads of ways of incorporating movement into your life, I think.
02:52One thing I'd like to say to anyone out there that's struggling is, you know, really lean on this BBC mental wellbeing season.
02:57Look out for the content because some of the conversations that I had could really help you.
03:01It could be like a little light bulb moment to really help you on your journey.
03:04So, yeah, I really hope it's beneficial and supports you and I wish you the best of luck.
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