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Fitness Star, Dad of 3, Joe Wicks Shares His Secrets to Parenting and Positive Mental Health

Joe's top tips to lead a healthier life as a family, his favourite SG foods and how he's on a mission to help others with their physical and mental health. 
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We catch up with Joe Wicks in Singapore to chat parenting three kids under four, his fave SG eats, why his top tips are ‘move more and sleep more’, and how his difficult childhood with his parents’ mental health issues motivated him to break the cycle in his own parenting

Chances are you and your kids will know Joe Wicks (also known as The Body Coach) from doing his ‘PE with Joe’ free workouts on YouTube during the pandemic (I know they kept our family sane throughout those long circuit breaker and HBL weeks!). Joe Wicks’ videos broke the world record for the largest streamed workout on YouTube and in total PE With Joe went on to receive over 100 million views and raise over half a million pounds for the NHS (UK’s healthcare system). Joe is married to model Rosie Jones and is a dad to three kids Indie (3), Marley (2) and Leni (4 months). We got the chance to catch up with him when he was in Singapore for his sold-out-in-2-hours free HIIT session at the Event Plaza at Marina Bay Sands and Sunday 10km public run. Joe opens up about his childhood living with parents with mental health issues (his father’s heroin use and his mother’s mental health problems) – how the lack of communication made him assume he was to blame “when you’re young you think it’s your fault and you blame yourself for what’s going on at home”. Joe shares how he’s breaking the cycle in his own parenting “it’s given me a lot of motivation and ambition to create a different life for my kids to be present, to be involved and to be around when things are tough.” Read on for Joe’s top tips to lead a healthier life as a family, his favourite SG eats and how he’s on a mission to help others with their physical and mental health.

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Joe Wicks interview on parenting

You’re in Singapore for a few days before heading to Australia to launch your band! What have been your and your kids’ favourite foods here?

We went to Lau Pau Sat which was my first ever Hawker market. It was a great experience – loved the food! We tried everything, we had noodles, satay, carrot cake, and I loved all of it. The kids loved the chicken rice the most and I couldn’t even say what my favourite was – probably the dark flat noodles (Char Kway Teow).

Joe's top tips to lead a healthier life as a family, his favourite SG foods and how he's on a mission to help others with their physical and mental health. 

You helped so many families with their mental and physical health through the pandemic with ‘PE with Joe’. How did you come up with the idea, and what was your goal?

So PE With Joe was obviously a big moment during lockdown but I’d actually been working on that mission about four years beforehand visiting schools doing tours and live workouts. I’ve always been passionate about trying to get young people active and enjoying exercise for their mental health as well. When the lockdown was happening I was supposed to go on a tour around the UK on that Monday and so I thought rather than just cancel it why don’t I do a virtual thing? I thought I’ll do it for a week or so and it was just crazy how many people took part and how much traction it got!

So many people were talking about it that it became way bigger than I ever dreamed of! It was an amazing experience to get families exercising together. Movement is about feeling energized, it’s about letting go of some of the stress and anxiety that people might be feeling. I’m still on that mission now to promote exercise as much as I can which is why I’m in Singapore and heading off to Australia too.

We caught up with Joe Wicks in Singapore to chat parenting three kids under four, his fave SG foods, why his top tips are 'move more and sleep more', and how his difficult childhood with his parents' mental health motivated him to break the cycle in his own parenting

You started as a personal trainer handing out flyers at your local train station to attract customers. Can you tell us about your journey to becoming a fitness expert – was there a defining moment when you saw your career take off?

I started my career as a personal trainer in Surrey just outside of London and it was quite tough at the beginning. It was difficult getting clients – I didn’t have a lot of money to invest in a lot of equipment or a van. I used to literally cycle my bicycle with a little trailer on the back carrying the dumbbells and boxing pads and it was a challenge just to get going because people just didn’t turn up. I used to be quite disheartened but I never ever gave up. I think I just applied that sort of mentality that if I just keep coming back, one person might come and it’s going to build, it’s going to grow.

It’s the same mentality I applied to Instagram and YouTube and everything else I’ve done along the way. I can’t think of a specific moment where it tipped over the edge to success but I think there were different moments like when I first published a cookbook in the UK called Lean in 15 which was a big moment in 2016. And then from there more things happened from TV appearances, to DVDs and documentaries. It’s been a long 10-year journey and there have been loads of amazing moments – there was a highlight when I went to Hyde Park in London and we broke the world record for the world’s largest HIIT session in 2017.  Obviously, PE with Joe was a really big moment to get so many people moving and it was just a really awesome thing to know that I had a positive impact through the lockdown.


We caught up with Joe Wicks in Singapore to chat parenting three kids under four, his fave SG foods, why his top tips are 'move more and sleep more', and how his difficult childhood with his parents' mental health motivated him to break the cycle in his own parenting

You are a dad of three now! How do you balance your schedule as a dad, TV personality, and entrepreneur while making time for self-care and maintaining a healthy work-life balance?

It’s definitely becoming more of a challenge obviously with three kids under four! I’ve got to find time to exercise, to be a dad, to cook dinner and get the kids ready for bed so there’s loads more going on but I love being a parent. I still find time to exercise – without it I would find it difficult to be a parent so I think for me exercising regularly is releasing stress, being a more patient calm parent. So it’s a routine that I’m always willing to commit to because I know that I’m better for it. I exercise in the morning normally before the kids are awake.

I love cooking and sitting as a family enjoying meals together. I think that helps to just settle down in the evening and get ready for bed with a book. I have a lot of busy periods but also have breaks and take time out to re-energise and spend time with the family – I think that’s so important.

parenting Joie Wicks Body Coach interview

What’s your parenting philosophy?

I love being a parent – Rosie and I really love having kids. We love the thought of having a big family. I think one of the most important things is just to take things as they go and be more flexible. We don’t have a really strict routine. We are a team – if one of us is stressed out the other one will go for a workout or a walk and just take time out. It’s important to have time on our own sometimes – you need that little moment just to destress and unwind.

We really love family time – it’s really important to turn phones off, go out for walks in nature, enjoy cooking together and just being around the kids as much as we can and being positive role models where we can.

We caught up with Joe Wicks in Singapore to chat parenting three kids under four, his fave SG foods, why his top tips are 'move more and sleep more', and how his difficult childhood with his parents' mental health motivated him to break the cycle in his own parenting

You speak very candidly about your mother having mental health issues and your father’s heroin use in your documentary Joe Wicks: Facing My Childhood. How did this impact you and how have you worked to parent differently?

I think my childhood living with my parents with mental health issues definitely drove me to want to become successful, to want to work hard and create a different life for myself. I think it taught me that you can change direction, you can be accountable, you can make the right choices and do things that are positive rather than going down a similar path to what your parents have been doing. So I think it’s given me a lot of motivation and ambition to create a different life for my kids – to be present, to be involved and to be around when things are tough. So yeah, I think it’s shaped me and given me a lot of determination to be a good parent and I’m proud of that really.

My best advice for parents and young people who are experiencing any kind of mental health issues is to talk about things, be open and communicate with your children because the sooner you do the more they can understand. It really just makes things a lot easier for your child because when you’re young you think it’s your fault and you blame yourself for what’s going on at home. But I think having conversations with your kids when it’s right is a really positive thing. It’s also important to get help and talk to other adults – I always say the best parents are the parents who get help.

As a family try to be active and get outside in nature, detach from screens and social media and get some fresh air. Try do things as a family which elevate the mood of the whole family. Movement is really so important as is communication and having an open dialogue.

parenting Joie Wicks Body Coach interview

What is one healthy habit you would recommend to families looking to improve their overall well-being?

Two things that I think are really important for a family to stay healthy and have strong healthy positive mental health: Focus on getting good sleep – I know it seems really obvious but getting your kids to bed if you can at a similar time every night and getting a good night’s sleep yourself.  It really sets you up for a positive morning and makes life feel a lot easier –  the school run is easier, you’re not stretched, not as anxious, and will feel more energized to exercise.

So I think getting sleep is the foundation and the second thing I promote as a family is just regular physical movement. It could be anything – running, cycling, gardening, scooters, playing in the park, going to the indoor playground – all this stuff is so good for you as a family just to get outside! So, yeah move more and sleep more!

Read more Cool Dad features here!

Thanks so much for chatting with us Joe – you are such an inspiration promoting physical and mental health – both to your family and to all of us!
All images courtesy of Joe Wicks' Instagram.

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