- UK fitness trainer Joe Wicks believes that the best thing people can do for their health is to make sleep a priority.
- If you’re sleep deprived, you are less likely to exercise, he told Insider.
- You are also more likely to choose less nutritious foods, he said.
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Joe Wicks is a British fitness trainer, writer and media personality with a mission to help people live healthier lives and get in shape.
Eating healthy and getting regular exercise are crucial to overall wellbeing, but Wicks’ top piece of advice for anyone looking to be healthier is simple: sleep more.
The personal trainer told Insider that prioritizing sleep can help you choose healthier foods, exercise, and feel less stressed.
“The number one priority for anyone struggling with their physical and mental health is sleeping,” he said. “And then you wake up with the energy to exercise. And then you will want to feed your body with good nutrition. It’s a cycle. “
The main piece of advice from Wicks for getting healthier is to get more sleep.
Joe Wicks
Wicks said he skipped nightly games and television and went to bed earlier, which had a “massive impact” on his feelings.
He’s now trying to go to bed at 9 p.m., which “completely changed” his life and gives him the energy to exercise before his kids wake up in the morning, he said.
Wicks said that going to bed earlier helps reduce his junk food consumption
Wicks said he often craves junk food in the evenings, so if he hits the hay earlier, he doesn’t eat as much.
When he’s well rested, Wicks says, it’s easier for him to make better food choices the next day, and there is research to back up his approach.
For example, a 2018 study by the University of Arizona found a link between lack of sleep and obesity. The majority of participants said they craved junk food more when they were tired.
Wicks said that people who are really tired are more likely to choose home cooking and sugary treats than cooking healthy meals.
Getting more sleep improves your mental health
Wicks is a big advocate of exercising for your mental health, but resting is just as important.
“You are so connected because when you are exhausted your emotions get heightened, you feel more stressed and everything feels a lot more difficult,” he said.
After a good night’s sleep, you will likely have more energy to exercise, which will further lift your mood. A 2019 study by Harvard University suggests that exercise can protect against
depression
.
“Today it is more difficult than ever to be active, healthy and strong, so you have to have so much determination to keep exercising and cooking because otherwise it is so easy to gain weight and become unhealthy and out of shape”, he said .
Wicks said people should try to remove any barriers between themselves and exercising, and getting more rest is a good place to start.
