The fitness expert and author shares insights on mental health, family life, and his latest cookbook.

Joe Wicks has been reflecting on his journey from leading PE With Joe during the UK lockdown to navigating mental health challenges and family life, as he promotes his new cookbook. The fitness coach, who earned an MBE in 2020 and set a Guinness World Record for the most viewers in a live fitness workout on YouTube, remains candid about his struggles and the lessons he’s learned.

Talking to Katie Wright, Wicks describes those lockdown months as a pivotal time in his career. “It was like my moment to shine—I had so much purpose, I was living my dream,” he says during a phone conversation while walking by a lake near his home in Surrey. His workouts and social media influence provided much-needed motivation to children and adults during a period of global uncertainty.

However, Wicks admits that the post-lockdown period brought its own challenges. “It wasn’t until it all stopped that I processed it and felt quite sad,” says the 36-year-old. Despite this, he acknowledges the positive shift in attitudes towards mental health brought on by the pandemic.

“Everyone has mental health, and some days you feel great, other days you don’t feel like yourself. Learning to manage that is key,” he explains. For Wicks, cold water therapy—a DIY ice bath in his garden—is an effective mental reset. “It’s extreme meditation but in cold water,” he shares, explaining how it helps release stress and bring focus to the present moment.

Exercise has always been Wicks’ go-to strategy for mental clarity. While many know him for HIIT workouts and weight loss success stories, he emphasises how physical fitness impacts mood and mental wellbeing. “People first came to me to lose weight, but what keeps them coming back is how exercise changes their mental health and relationships,” Wicks says.

His latest book, Feel Good Food, expands on this connection between diet and mental health by offering advice such as eating more plants, minimising processed foods, and understanding how nutrition directly influences mood. “Some think they can eat anything they want if they exercise, but diet truly matters,” he says.

Wicks also believes the most impactful lessons come through shared experiences with family. “The most powerful thing you can do as a parent is exercise and cook with your children,” he explains. He contrasts his upbringing—mealtime often consisted of quick frozen meals—with his current commitment to enjoying quality family time over home-cooked meals and conversation.

His parents, who’ve faced their own mental health battles, inspire his perspective. “My mum had struggles with eating disorders as a young adult, but now she loves cooking and my recipe books,” he shares with pride. Their journey, along with his personal experiences, will feature in an upcoming documentary produced by Louis Theroux.

The fitness guru shares his admiration for Theroux, who also became a fan of Wicks’ workouts during the pandemic. Wicks describes watching Theroux’s reaction as surreal: “It’s really weird having Louis Theroux in my house, sitting on my sofa.”

Reflecting on the challenges of revisiting his own childhood and the mental health struggles of his parents, Wicks acknowledges that the upcoming documentary is both personal and vulnerable. However, he hopes it will resonate with viewers and promote conversations about mental health without sensationalism.

“It’s a raw, open look at parental mental health,” he concludes. “I hope it helps people.”