Welcome to Metro.co.uk’s The big questionswhere we ask, well, the big questions (and the smaller ones too) and this week we dive deep with Joe Wicks.
Also known as the Body Coach, Joe took on the responsibility of getting the nation moving in lockdown every morning, when schools and gyms were closed.
The free morning workouts became such a phenomenon that it attracted hundreds of thousands of viewers every day – who can now meet Joe on his PE With Joe tour with Mini as he tours Britain in a Mini Countryman.
Joe’s infectious energy and love of movement not only earned him a legion of fans, but also Guinness World Records and even an MBE from the Queen.
We sat down with the man himself to discuss all the important questions before he hits the road this summer.
What’s it like taking PE With Joe out for the second time?
It is awesome. There’s a lot of organization involved because I’m basically doing a back-to-back traveling tour, where we roll in – and the guys are amazing – they set up this huge screen, the stage and the music and everything. It’s just a great thing.
I usually have about 1,000 people per event. So we’re doing seven cities and seven days and hope to reach about 7,000 kids, teens and adults.
I get to travel around in a brand new Mini Countryman which is quite nice as Mini clearly supports it and helps organize the great tour. We rock and do the workout, get everyone excited, do a little stretch and a workout.
And then I close with a meet and greet – I meet everyone, every person that comes, meets me. 1000 people at each event takes about three or four hours after training, but I love it.
It must be so rewarding to see some of the hundreds of thousands of people who did your workouts virtually during the lockdown face-to-face?
It’s my favorite thing to do. Because like you said, people did it virtually and didn’t really get to see or do it in a live setting with a beautiful backdrop of really nice castles and beautiful mansions and they just look that good.
I really love it because of course people are there to train, but they are also there to thank you. They want to thank you for PE With Joe, because I know what it meant to them. So I always come away very inspired and very happy and proud.
Did you ever expect PE With Joe to go as huge as it did during the pandemic?
No, I had no idea. I thought there would be a few thousand schools participating, but I certainly didn’t expect there to be close to a million live streams and stuff. So I knew that second day, like, wow, this is big, but this is really a lot of people, so I kept doing it.
I tried to give people some structure in their day. It was just a mood changer or a mood booster and I think it really did that, it made people feel a little bit more positive about the day.
Being on the road and meeting your fans, are there any encounters that stay with you as special?
There are so many people I’ve met along the way, a lot of people get very emotional because maybe they got depressed or really overweight, and they saw my videos, and it changed their lives doing a workout with me.
So it’s quite an emotional experience, I get a lot of beautiful letters and cards that people give me to read on the way home and then I get really, really, some emotional stuff to read. But it’s amazing – I keep them all in a box in the garage, I have them all and I remember those moments.
You’ve also picked up some famous fans along the way – we saw you torture Louis Theroux with an ice bath not too long ago after befriending, what was that like?
He’s such a great guy, I’ve loved his shows for so many years, so it’s just great that he does my workouts, and he came to my house because he was producing my mental health documentary. So I really wanted to get to know him a little better and he came over and I had him take an ice bath. We did a workout and stuff, which was really funny. He is great.
He’s a really nice guy and actually I was with him a few weeks ago and I always think if I can do more documentaries I’d love to do it with him.
You mentioned your incredible documentary, Joe Wicks: Facing My Childhood, in which you were candid about your mental health. Is talking about your mental health something you’ve always found easy to do or has it come with time?
It’s something that 10 years ago when I started out as a trainer I definitely wouldn’t have been sure to talk about it because I just didn’t have the knowledge and the world experience to talk about it.
I’ve talked to so many people since then and had so many interactions with people who are suffering and who have come through it, even with healthy food and exercise or meditation and mindfulness and different kinds of things.
I just think if I can use my platform to share about that, and to spread that message, it’s always something positive.
I think when I show my own vulnerabilities in my documentary, I think it helps a lot of young guys think, “Hey, you know what, I’m ready to talk now, I can actually come out and ask for help. “‘
Even young kids should be able to talk to their parents and have those conversations, so I really try to promote that message a lot. Even when I do the PE With Joe tour, I tell them about the importance of exercise for your mental health. It’s about moving, it’s about releasing that stress or frustration in your body and it’s just little messages like it’s good for kids to hear and it has an impact.
Aside from exercise to kick-start your endorphins, what else do you rely on to take care of your own mental health when you might be having a bad day?
It’s the things people don’t often think about that are most important to your mental health and development is sleep. So I always encourage people to go to bed a little earlier, sleep a few hours longer, because it makes such a difference to your mental health, your energy, your mood.
And I also think about food, people often think that exercise boosts your mood, which it naturally does, but actually food has a very powerful influence on your mood and how you feel, so it’s a combination of sleep, food and regular exercise to keep yourself in a positive mindset.
Proceeds from your tour will go to Children In Need, a charity you’ve worked with before. Why did you choose to work with them?
I’ve been working with Children In Need for a few years now and what I love about them is that they distribute their money across a lot of different funds and foundations in different types of projects in the UK. They really have a big focus on children’s mental health and well-being, so I know the money we’re raising goes to a good place.
I’ve known them for years and have done a lot of work with them, including the 24 Hour Challenge and several events, so I wanted to make an impact and stick with one charity rather than dilute it and work with hundreds of different charities. So for me, working with young people is what I’m really passionate about and helping them.
You were big before the pandemic, but your fame skyrocketed after PE With Joe – how has that affected your life?
It’s weird because, of course, while people really recognize me after that, it hasn’t affected my life in any way. I still live in a bit of a bubble – I live in Virginia Water in Surrey with the kids and Rosie.
It’s not that I’ve felt a huge impact on my life, but I just think the more people I can reach, the better, so clearly, that people will recognize you at some point, whether it’s for YouTube , or podcasts or something. But yeah, it didn’t really affect me any differently, actually.
It should be fun for your kids to see you recognized for the important things you do.
They don’t really know what’s going on yet, you know. They are more or less aware that I am on TV, but they don’t really know why people want a picture with their dad!
You instilled in them a love for good food and exercise from an early age – was it always important for you to pass on that wisdom early on?
I think two of the most important things we can do as parents are role modeling around food and exercise. So if you can let your kids enjoy food and engage in cooking and learning about food, that’s really powerful. I definitely think that’s something I like to do and of course they always see me working out. It’s part of my day so they always come to the gym and copy me and follow me.
You always make your workouts more fun and use costumes and stuff – half the battle is getting out of the idea that exercising is a chore because you never regret a workout once you’ve done it, right?
Yes, I’ve always tried to make exercise fun for people who participate, so that’s a big stigma around exercise, that it has to be a structured, rigid gym session.
But actually you can do very nice things and that can be at home with the kids, it doesn’t have to be so difficult and boring, it can be fun. You never regret a workout, you always feel better at the end of it.
Joe Wicks’ weekend:
It’s Saturday, where shall we find you?
You will see me doing a morning workout. I like to do a Saturday morning boot camp in the Body Coach app, and then we’ll go to the farm or zoo somewhere, have a nice lunch, and then watch a movie when we get home.
What’s on the brunch menu?
I love a full English, but that probably wouldn’t be the healthiest option! I’m also obsessed with night oats, maybe with some fresh fruit and a little orange juice.
How have your weekends evolved?
I’m definitely not partying like I used to be! I come home a little earlier now, I like a night out, but normally I’m in bed at midnight now. So yeah, I’m not as haggard as I used to be!
What is your ultimate Sunday night movie or TV show to watch?
My favorite program is Succession but that’s not the issue at the moment, that’s what I like most on TV. I also like a good Disney movie or a good Pixar movie with the kids. So anything like old Toy Story movies or Encanto – we love a little sing-along!
The PE with Joe Wicks and MINI Tour will take place between July 31 and August 6. For more information and to tickets playing sports at one of the locations; hop, jump or jump your way to https://www.mini.co.uk/pewithjoe.
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