#15 | MindBites - The Impact of Exercise on Men’s Mental Health

0:00:01 - Speaker 1

And the one we're going to talk about today is how exercise improves men's mental health. Joe and I are incredibly passionate about exercise as a whole this is Joe's bread and butter in particular and we can't wait to get into the episode. If you do enjoy these episodes, please comment and like down below as well, as we will keep making them for you guys, and please, please, keep interacting on our Instagram polls, as you guys fully dictate what happens in these podcasts and the titles for them. So, first off, joe, how does exercise help men feel better mentally?

0:00:32 - Speaker 2

Without being dramatic, it saved my life. In particular, I feel like exercise for me is like it's an imperative thing, and when I'm not exercising it's I'm probably a shadow of my former self. So I think I can say firsthand that exercise is one of the sort of larger repertoire of things I've sort of kept with me and I probably hope to have it for the rest of my life, which I guess will come on to later about stopping rugby. Um, physical exercise to me is is an imperative, if not daily then, um, certainly during the week. I try and do as much of it as I can within a healthy, healthy you do healthy.

0:01:08 - Speaker 1

Yeah, let's go on to that. For those of you don't know, I won't speak for him, but joe did just retire from rugby after a very successful career. How's that been for you mentally?

0:01:19 - Speaker 2

it's been. It's been challenging. So for those who don't follow rugby whatsoever, uh, we're in pre-season now, so the season hasn't officially started, so it's going to be easier now than it will be actually watching games. For those who don't follow me on any social media platforms. I started playing when I was about three years old.

I've been playing more or less every year for my entire life, either through winter and the summer, playing sevens as well. It's been a huge part of my life, um socially, as well as the um the obviously the physical side of things and having to give up through uh injuries and obviously to sort of try and prolong my career outside of that in obviously podcasting, but also um personal training and pilates as well. So trying to sort of add a few more years to that, if I can do. Now I've got to 30, so, um, it's been really tough, mate. It's been really weird the transition between playing and doing the strength and conditioning side of things, which the club are very grateful and graceful, sorry to um allow me to sort of be involved with because, like I said earlier, the social element of is of rugby is really important to me. So to continue that will be um quite important, I think, moving forward what's one piece of advice that you've sort of taken from?

0:02:23 - Speaker 1

it's been a few months now, hasn't it? What's one piece of advice that you've sort of taken from you? It's been a few months now, hasn't it? What's one piece of advice which you've sort of learned so far, which, for people that are in a similar position to you, or have been in that position, what piece of advice would you give? It's a really really good question.

0:02:36 - Speaker 2

I think I'm probably best to ask when I'm watching games, because that's going to be the most challenging part.

For me, that's really really hard watching games, um, and it really reminds me of when we had elliot I win on the podcast. For anyone who hasn't seen that one, I really, really advise it if you are big into your sports or are huge on being a general athlete or the life of an athlete. He is a fascinating guy to listen to and watch. He's, he's, he's a, he's a absolute beast, um, and he spoke a lot about having to give up rugby and it really sort of resonated with me in the last couple of weeks since my sort of retirement, as it were, and seeking your autonomy elsewhere.

So I'm trying to sort of find a balance of things that is not just the gym, things outside of it. So we spoke about it off air a minute ago and we talked about running and how much I hate it, but I feel better once I've done it. So if I try and go for like a, even for a 5k which for some might seem ridiculous, but for me that's quite a lot because I'm not really a long distance runner, I'm not really built for it, so, um, I feel better when it's done. I'm trying to find a balance between things. Now what that I can sort of stay involved in rugby socially but have the the physical edge to it. I really enjoyed playing it, but elsewhere, and he found that in crossfit.

0:03:45 - Speaker 1

Maybe I'll do the same there's sports such as running, swimming and cycling have been proven as the most effective for mental health. For me, actually, you couldn't think of anything worse than going all the way you've got so many people nodding at home and me and Peter being like, yeah, I'm with this guy, I'm with him Big time. You're doing your half marathon soon. You've done five or six proper sessions. Now is it Obviously you've run in rugby or around that number. Have you found a difference?

0:04:19 - Speaker 2

Yeah, I think Charlie Smith is a very, very close dear friend of mine and he is a as you know of mine and he is a as you know Charlie relatively well as well.

He's a freak when it comes to his endurance um training and he did a really good video the day that said, for the first time you start running properly, as in longer distance, beyond 100, 250 meters, going beyond like a k or 5k, 10k, is just having time on feet. Don't worry about a distance, don't worry about how long you do it, but just run for 20 minutes and see how far you go. Just run, just get into the habit of running and your injuries will suddenly subside if you just do that time and then, once you get more comfortable in that, then you can start to put more distance on it, more time on it, just time on feet. So for me it's more. If I do one or two runs a week outside of my normal training in the gym etc. Then that's like that's a good thing for me and by the time the half marathon comes around I'll just sort of hope and pray I love that.

0:05:08 - Speaker 1

I think it'd be really interesting if we could get like a triathlete on the podcast, because it said that activities like running, swimming and cycling are the most effective mental health. They're the three things they do in the triathlons. I'd wonder. I'd quite like to see like someone like have you seen alex? Yee, he ran in the olympics, yeah, unbelievable. I wonder what people like that you know, like Johnny Brownlee, alistair Brownlee their type of like mental state is whether they find a lot of peace in it or whether, because it's a high level competition, they find it a bit different competing in the Olympics. That would actually be a really, really interesting podcast episode, so we'll see if we can try and sort something there. It just popped in my head now. Why is exercise a good way, in your opinion, to sort of like manage your mental health personally?

0:05:52 - Speaker 2

um, I feel like it's a. It was an escape for me initially. It was like a way of being able to prevent frustration that I picked up in the day and it's and by all means it's still that. But I feel like for me, just in terms of the physical side of it, it makes me feel so much happier and obviously the science behind that backs it is the, the happy hormone, the endorphins you feel as a result of exercising makes everyone feel better.

Um, I like how it makes me feel if I'm exercising. I like the feeling afterwards and because inherently I'm quite a lazy person, that makes I'm really backward for what I do for a living and my sort of lifestyle is I'm actually quite like doing nothing. So if I have an active lifestyle outside of that doing nothing part, I feel way better when I'm doing nothing. That makes sense. So when I am, I'm not particularly social. So when I am sort of vegetating at home with the family or on my own, I quite like my own space. So when I'm doing that I feel way better to be able to do that.

No, no, I've gone for a run, I've gone to the gym or I've been active with clients and obviously socializing with you, etc. And coupled with that the social piece is the sense of community. In playing rugby or the gym like you go to with your sort of crossfit style training at the march on of it, that for me is massive because, like I said a minute ago, I alluded to the fact that I'm not particularly social. So that for me forces me to be a part of a community. That of with like-minded people and through that like with you, with your rugby, with ealing or university etc. Is you've made some of your closest, nearest and dearest friends through those things.

0:07:20 - Speaker 1

So it's a bit of a win-win-win for me agreed, I think for me, a lot of it is is I don't sleep particularly well. I feel like when I exercise I sleep a lot better. Well, that's why I feel like when I exercise I sleep a lot better. My routine just seems a lot better. And I think one thing a lot of guys struggle with and this is, you know, I think, most guys is they struggle, a lot of them struggle with self-esteem and they struggle with how they look, whether it's like body dysmorphia or whatever it is in regards to how you're feeling.

But I feel like when I exercise, I almost view myself differently and I my self-esteem levels are a lot higher. I feel a lot more confident. You know, I'm more confident to take off my top when we're out and about or whatever it is, but when I don't and I'll either put on weight or get a lot scrawnier, I'm in my head mentally and then just makes me more uncomfortable. And that being uncomfortable sort of like translates into different aspects of my life, different areas, and I found that that's a massive thing. And secondly as well, just reducing, like my stress hormones.

I have quite a stressful like job life, whatever it is. I absolutely love it, but these things are stressful if you're, if you're running a business. I feel like exercising for the most part, although I don't necessarily enjoy it all the time. Doing it just gives me a lot of peace of mind when I come back to work and I think a lot clearer, like when we're doing this I've worked out today. I'm thinking way clearer than if I just sat and had a lie until you know 11 or whatever it is and just did no exercise and came down to my pajamas. I wouldn't be thinking as clearly awesome mate.

0:08:51 - Speaker 2

I'm literally because there's no one could see me here, so I'm literally nodding along to this being like I would forget.

0:08:56 - Speaker 1

No one's watching us.

0:08:57 - Speaker 2

Yeah it's the clarity side of things is huge for me, like it's absolutely huge. Secondly, what you said there is routine. Like I'm such a creature of habit, just like you, with sort of adhd, a bit of ocd in there as well, probably as well I need routine just for my own well-being. The most important thing you said there were actually I was nodding along, but I'm really glad you said that is the sort of um, not body dysmorphia piece which I know a lot of men do struggle with.

I think it's really important you raise that in men, because a lot of we speak about um, the vogue models, victoria models and that, the damage that can do on young women and on parading these unachievable physiques, and no one talks about it in men. No one talks about these unachievable male physiques that we see in the magazines or on social media, which I know for women have the same problem, but no one talks about the male issue that they have with that and that the young men that are seeing all these men in the gym I mean some young men looking at me or you might think the same thing. They might think like how am I ever gonna look like that type of thing? And it's. It's not often spoken about. It really isn't spoken about, so I'm really glad you raised that because it's such an important issue yeah, agreed.

0:10:02 - Speaker 1

Well, one thing I always see coming up a lot of the time as well is like how can men sort of fit exercise into a busy life? What would be, what would be your view there? Because I think when exercise, when you think of exercise, you think of like intense, like hour and a half, two hour sessions, but how would you fit in? Yeah, it's?

0:10:19 - Speaker 2

it's a very commonly asked question. For me as well, I think, um, you, the cliche of you make time sounds really ridiculous because someone would be like, well, I work 17 18 hours a day. It's like, well one, I couldn't work 17 18 hours a day for one, that just that's something I can never do, irrespective of how sort of freakish I'm around routine, I'm a stickler for that. I make time in my day, but partly because being self-employed allows the flexibility to be able to do that. And also exercise hasn't got to be three hours long. You know, exercise could be a 20 minute walk. People don't't count that. People are like it still counts, you're still moving.

For exiles, for me is just moving the body, getting the heart rate up. So if you think you haven't got time to do so, you probably do. You know if it means getting up earlier, which for me works better. I like training in the morning so it sets me up better for the rest of the day. But do two or three morning clients and then go to the gym and I'm done, I've exiled for midday or lunchtime and then the rest of the afternoon is my own and if I choose to do nothing, I feel good because I've still done all the hard work in the morning. So and some people don't work that way some people work better in the evening. It allows them to sleep better. So create a routine that works best for you.

As routinely, as is huge. And two, it hasn't got to be three hours long, it's gonna be two hours an hour long. Half an hour, 45 minutes of a class often gets away from sitting on your phone doom scrolling or in in the gym. I'd say those sort of three or four key tips I think are really important, because some people I see in the gym are in there for like two hours. They've been on instagram and tiktok the entire time. It's like put your phone down and some people have to get around. That is by joining classes completely agree.

0:11:49 - Speaker 1

I just think from from my point of view, I like the early morning gym sessions. I just enjoy them. Now I've gotten used to it. With rugby we'd have to be in the gym at five, like I'm used to that. Now it's kind of become part of my routine three times a week or whatever it is in total. Sometimes if I'm not feeling it, I'll just I'll scrap a session, like I'm not too hard on myself anymore because I'm not competing for anything. I'm not. You know, I'm not trained to be a professional athlete anymore.

But I think what is important is people like, if he's listening to this, my sister's boyfriend, uh, works in a law firm, super like tough hours, crazy hours. But he loves to cycle to work in the morning now for half an hour instead of getting the train as he used to, and that's cycle to work half an hour, cycle back half. Now that's an hour of exercise. You just don't think of it like that and I just like that's 30 minutes outside in the morning. He's getting sunlight on his face. Well, in the uk probably rain a lot of the time, but sunlight in his face this summer. He's outside, he's moving early doors and it gives him clarity. And then when he cycles back in the evening, it's the same thing. That's an hour of exercise he now counts into every single day without really changing anything. The only change was cycling rather than getting the train, and it's the same amount of time for him as well, especially in russia.

0:13:01 - Speaker 2

Yeah, what one thing I'd also add on to that is. I love the idea is if I the five minutes I worked in the city um, cold calling, if I was to live in and do that, I probably would have done the same thing. Being able to run, cycle or walk into work would be really good for me, because I just hated the sort of stinky, sweaty commuter trains. That for me was like the height of rush hours, awful, like it was thinking to me doing that every day, five, six days a week with other people who I knew were in the same boat as me didn't want to be there. They were miserable, it smelled, it was sweaty, it was hot, it was just so stimulously overwhelming I just I hated every second of it. So that's great too.

If you listen to this and you are sort of living and working in the city with ridiculously long hours and you have the luxury of working and living in london in a close proximity, if you have access to a local gym and you have a lunch break that lasts an hour or two and you can stretch it, have your lunch either before or afterwards and try and access a local gym, even if it's inexpensive, pure gyms um 34. You've got a month and you can do that and join a class, your productivity, thinking that you've got a long day ahead of you. Afterwards you will work so much better, your productivity will go through the roof and you'll sleep better result of that. So try and do that, introducing it, and it'll make a huge difference completely agree.

0:14:14 - Speaker 1

Last question for you, joe if you could give one piece of advice for people looking to start their exercise journey guys or girls even listening to this looking to start their exercise journey. What piece of advice would that be?

0:14:27 - Speaker 2

start small. So don't. Don't look at the people on social media going, oh my god, I can't squat 100 kilos. It's like no, no, no one's asking you to run your own race. Don't compare yourself to anyone. Comparison is a thief of thief of thief, thief of joy, rather. Um, comparison just doesn't help anyone, least of all you. So don't do that, and if you have someone you can go with to begin your journey, it really, really helps because it takes the pressure off. You think everyone's looking at me. I want to get past the stage of knowing that no one's looking at you. Everyone's running their own race. Everyone's in there for a reason. Everyone had to start somewhere. Remember that everyone had to start somewhere no-transcript.

0:15:21 - Speaker 1

If you guys enjoyed this short 15 minutes shock, if you guys are sure uh, enjoyed this short 15 minute episode all about how exercise improves men's mental health, then please do leave us a like down below if you want to follow us on instagram, youtube, subscribe on there, tiktok, facebook, wherever it is we're in at inside of mine pod, but for the time being, I'm tom, I'm joe and this is inside of mine. We'll see you guys soon. Take care guys.