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JOe Wicks, 34, the country’s benchmark body trainer during the pandemic kept millions on their toes and raised £ 580,000 for the NHS (PE with Joe on YouTube ran most days of the week between March 2020 and March 2021). Later this month he launches Training badges, a short, energetic exercise series for preschoolers on YouTube, in collaboration with Hey Duggee (The most watched children’s show on BBC iPlayer last year). As part of his same drive to get kids to exercise, Wicks is releasing, along with writer Vivian French and illustrator Paul Howard, a picture book, Burpee bears, September 30.
Have your own children been a source of inspiration for your new series?
Massively – I still exercise in front of them, even though my little boy, Marley, is only 18 months old. I also have a three year old daughter, Indie, and I love it when she copies me… The other day we were doing Training badges, and she said, “Daddy, you have to keep going because if you stop you won’t get your badge!” My passion is to help young people – through exercise – to change the way they feel.
You involve able-bodied and disabled children in your show and you are a source of inspiration to everyone. Was it fun to do?
I like to be a player. Exercise doesn’t have to be serious. But it was very tiring to do the series because of the Covid. I had to film with each child separately due to social distancing rules.
When I was a kid, I couldn’t touch my toes (I still can’t). What advice would you have given me?
The message with children should always be, “Do your best. If you can’t do it perfectly, give it a try. Don’t judge yourself. Don’t compare yourself.
Have you ever been unfit?
I have never been overweight. I was a skinny kid who loved physical education and sports. I used exercise as a coping mechanism …
Your father was a heroin addict. It must have been so hard …
It shaped me. I was never depressed except when I was a teenager, when dad relapsed every two months – it was quite emotional. Dad was struggling with his addiction, so he couldn’t be there for me all the time. It made me want to be there for my children. It helped me become a better husband and father. As an adult I am more compassionate towards my father [recovered now] than I was as a teenager. We have a good relationship [today]. I didn’t know both of my parents had serious mental health issues. My mom had eating disorders and OCD – I thought she just loved cleaning her house four times a day.
Would you say you had addictive traits yourself?
I used to think that if I tried to take drugs, I would become addicted. It scared me. I guess I’m addicted to social media… and helping people. I am very motivated and get a buzz about it. I’m obsessed with making more content, more videos, going to other countries.
Has your diet had to be transformed since childhood?
I had a really unhealthy diet. My mom had me when I was 19 and couldn’t cook. Junk food was all she knew. She used to go to Iceland where there were a lot of buy-a-get-a-free offers. I took up cooking in college. I am always very greedy. I love chocolate and ice cream. I eat a lot more than the average person, but because I exercise five to six days a week, I get by without a problem.
What do you think of the obesity crisis in this country?
I used to do it, but now I think more about the mental health crisis. I used to focus on the physical transformation – leanness, body shape. But during the pandemic I realized that it is with mental health that people need help and motivation. Without a healthy mindset and the energy you get from exercise, life is much more difficult. If you look at exercise from a mental health perspective, the body will follow.
And does your new picture book talk about it?
It is the uplifting story of a family of bears who have a wonderful day in the woods. It’s about being active and having fun (and getting caught in the rain) …
The healthy recipes you post on Instagram and elsewhere are always fast. Why hurry?
I was successful because my workouts lasted 20 minutes and my recipes lasted 15 minutes. I wanted to show people that they can lead healthy lives with minimal effort.
Have you ever burneded out?
More recently, yes. I did the confinement [workout] stuff, good. Then I did two podcast series and shot a documentary about my childhood with Louis Theroux’s production company. In the end, I was so emotionally drained that I felt like I had nothing more to give.
Do you need to rest from social networks…?
There are days when I get tired of it, not so much my posts as the posts from people in difficulty. I try to answer. I am constantly giving energy. But I can put my phone away. I will miss the first few hours, but with each passing hour I feel lighter: I am not solicited, no one can reach me… it is a pleasant feeling.
Has getting married and having children changed you?
My family brought me contentment, confidence and security. Whatever happens from now on, even though I’m not relevant or popular, I have my family, so everything will be fine.
Your favorite way to relax?
Go out on my motorbike (a Triumph Bobber). Or take the kids to Richmond Park or Virginia Water Lake. My garden is a small sanctuary. I have an ice maker, a metal tub that I fill from the hose, and then I throw out a lot of ice cubes. I’m going to lay there for four or five minutes and it’s amazing. Nothing brings you more in the moment than ice water.
Don’t you ever feel tempted to stay in bed?
I have days when I eat emotionally and sit on the couch. But I love these days. I am not ashamed. I’ll think about it: it’s just one day. I don’t let it hang around. I know that life is better with good sleep, good food and movement: I’m going to get up, exercise, get back in the mood.
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