BITESIZE #70 | Joe Wicks: Don’t wait till your older till retire

This week’s bitesize we’re joined by the nation’s greatest PE teacher Joe Wicks. 

It’s a lesson that resonated with our hosts Jake and Damian - taking time out to spend with your family and friends in real time. 

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Listen: https://pod.fo/e/11450c

Watch: https://youtu.be/1dJjHw8K5qU

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In this episode, Joe Wicks, also known as "The Body Coach," emphasizes the significance of taking regular breaks and mini-retirements throughout the year to prioritize family time and personal well-being. He highlights that even in a demanding career, it's crucial to create a balance between work and personal life to avoid burnout and maintain a healthy perspective.

Wicks shares his personal strategy of taking a three-month break every year, which allows him to fully disconnect from work, spend quality time with his family, and pursue activities he enjoys. He acknowledges that this level of time off may not be feasible for everyone, but he encourages listeners to find ways to incorporate periods of rest and rejuvenation into their own lives.

Wicks emphasizes that these breaks are not just vacations but opportunities for self-care and renewal. He likens them to the natural cycle of flowers, which bloom and then hibernate to regain their strength. Similarly, individuals need periods of relaxation to recharge and return to their pursuits with renewed focus and energy.

The discussion also touches on the fear of missing out on opportunities or being replaced by competitors during these breaks. Wicks acknowledges this concern but encourages listeners to trust in their abilities and the strength of their work. He believes that taking time for personal well-being ultimately enhances productivity and creativity in the long run.

Overall, this episode emphasizes the importance of prioritizing personal well-being and taking regular breaks to maintain a balanced and fulfilling life, both professionally and personally.

[00:00.000 -> 00:04.160] Hi there, welcome along to this bite-sized episode of the High Performance Podcast.
[00:04.160 -> 00:08.160] This is where we take a look back at a guest that's joined us on a previous episode, and
[00:08.160 -> 00:11.480] we just reminisce, we think a bit further and a bit deeper about something that they
[00:11.480 -> 00:12.480] shared with us.
[00:12.480 -> 00:15.680] And we're about to play you a clip from a conversation with Joe Wicks.
[00:15.680 -> 00:19.400] And I actually said to the team, I would love to hear this again.
[00:19.400 -> 00:22.120] I really want people to hear it, absorb it, and understand it.
[00:22.120 -> 00:26.260] Because as you know, our interviews sometimes can be an hour long, and I think it's easy
[00:26.260 -> 00:29.080] to just miss the odd little moment,
[00:29.080 -> 00:32.580] or the odd sentiment that someone shares on the podcast,
[00:32.580 -> 00:35.700] because it's in and amongst a sea of amazing takeaways.
[00:35.700 -> 00:38.460] And I thought Joe Wicks was an incredible guest.
[00:38.460 -> 00:40.440] He had so many brilliant things to share with us,
[00:40.440 -> 00:42.460] but the one that I've taken away
[00:42.460 -> 00:49.560] is this idea of having a period every single year where you retire, where you take a step back, where you relax, and Joe shared with us, but the one that I've taken away is this idea of having a period every single year where you retire, where you take a step back, where you relax, and Joe shared with
[00:49.560 -> 00:54.760] us a really cool story about him hearing that a flower can't bloom all year, even something
[00:54.760 -> 01:00.080] as special and as amazing as a flower has a period where it's looking amazing, and then
[01:00.080 -> 01:02.080] it has a period where it just needs to hibernate.
[01:02.080 -> 01:05.800] Now let me just caveat this, okay, because I know that there are people listening to this,
[01:05.800 -> 01:08.720] and I, you know, I am in the real world like you are,
[01:08.720 -> 01:09.880] and I'm not saying that Joe isn't,
[01:09.880 -> 01:10.920] but I know that you'll be thinking,
[01:10.920 -> 01:13.360] how can someone with a normal Monday to Friday,
[01:13.360 -> 01:15.720] nine to five job take a period of retirement?
[01:15.720 -> 01:18.040] And I'm not saying you have to do what Joe does,
[01:18.040 -> 01:19.000] and he's very lucky to do it,
[01:19.000 -> 01:20.760] where he goes to the States for a couple of months,
[01:20.760 -> 01:23.440] or he just goes off, you know, on his motorbike
[01:23.440 -> 01:24.800] with his dad for two or three weeks,
[01:24.800 -> 01:26.560] and he just shuts down and he allows his brother,
[01:26.560 -> 01:28.960] Nicky, to run his business, and his amazing wife
[01:28.960 -> 01:30.680] to look after his kids for a period of time,
[01:30.680 -> 01:33.080] and he just closes off from social media
[01:33.080 -> 01:34.160] and all the other things.
[01:34.160 -> 01:37.360] But what I am saying is, you need to find the time
[01:37.360 -> 01:40.080] to take a break, to step back, to relax.
[01:40.080 -> 01:43.400] You can't be 100%, 100% of the time.
[01:44.360 -> 01:45.580] Damien talks about pit stops,
[01:45.580 -> 01:46.480] and if you've read our book,
[01:46.480 -> 01:49.720] you'll know that we put little high-performance pit stops
[01:49.720 -> 01:51.320] all the way through the high-performance book
[01:51.320 -> 01:54.240] because a Formula One race can be won
[01:54.240 -> 01:57.440] when you're standing still, can be won in the pits.
[01:57.440 -> 01:59.280] And I think that's a good metaphor for your life.
[01:59.280 -> 02:03.280] You don't need to be in fifth gear all the time.
[02:03.280 -> 02:04.600] You do need to take a break.
[02:04.600 -> 02:05.900] You do need to step back. You do need to take a break. You do need to step back.
[02:05.900 -> 02:07.260] You do need to relax.
[02:07.260 -> 02:09.060] And I'll never forget my father-in-law
[02:09.060 -> 02:10.220] saying to me years ago, I said,
[02:10.220 -> 02:12.820] Ivan, I hate going on holiday because I just,
[02:12.820 -> 02:14.460] you know, I want to just crack on with work.
[02:14.460 -> 02:16.140] And he said to me, he said, look,
[02:16.140 -> 02:20.820] another way of using the word recreation is re-creation.
[02:20.820 -> 02:24.020] So go on holiday and use it as a period to recreate,
[02:24.020 -> 02:26.600] to rebuild, to get stronger and to go again.
[02:27.040 -> 02:30.160] So that's the sentiment of this bite-sized episode of the high performance
[02:30.160 -> 02:33.880] podcast. A short clip from Joe Wicks, as always,
[02:34.120 -> 02:36.600] ping us a message on Instagram, get in touch on LinkedIn,
[02:36.840 -> 02:38.040] let us know what you think of it.
[02:38.320 -> 02:42.960] But thanks for coming to a podcast that gets you closer to your own version of
[02:42.960 -> 02:45.680] high performance. Joe comes next.
[02:46.880 -> 02:48.980] I heard this phrase once which is,
[02:48.980 -> 02:50.840] don't wait till you're older to retire.
[02:50.840 -> 02:52.880] Have mini retirements every year.
[02:52.880 -> 02:54.360] You know, like little moments like that.
[02:54.360 -> 02:56.040] That's a rare moment where I get three months
[02:56.040 -> 02:57.440] because Indy's starting school soon.
[02:57.440 -> 02:59.560] It's not going to happen, but just to do that.
[02:59.560 -> 03:02.760] And obviously, when I'm away in the US,
[03:02.760 -> 03:06.760] things slow down, you know, less books, less apps, less income, you know,
[03:06.760 -> 03:09.160] less opportunities because I'm turning down work, right?
[03:09.160 -> 03:12.960] But for me, like the sacrifice, it's not worth it.
[03:12.960 -> 03:15.240] Like I need to have those moments where I'm with my family
[03:15.240 -> 03:16.760] and with Rosie, I'm completely present.
[03:16.760 -> 03:18.480] And, you know, I think it's so important
[03:18.480 -> 03:19.400] because otherwise you look around
[03:19.400 -> 03:20.360] and you obviously achieve so much
[03:20.360 -> 03:21.480] in your career successfully,
[03:21.480 -> 03:23.520] but how much time have you been with your family
[03:23.520 -> 03:25.280] and friends and like real time with them, you know?
[03:25.280 -> 03:27.080] What do you mean by real time?
[03:27.080 -> 03:31.920] Like not, you know, not there on my phone doing emails, like still working up there,
[03:31.920 -> 03:35.480] but not there because it's so easy to still run a business because it's all online. I
[03:35.480 -> 03:39.400] can still be like away and still keep things ticking over. That is the thing, like I can
[03:39.400 -> 03:43.160] film anywhere and just upload videos to the app. I can upload videos to YouTube. So I'm
[03:43.160 -> 03:47.280] really lucky I've got that flexibility, but I really value the importance of family time.
[03:47.280 -> 03:49.160] And I think if I just worked, worked, worked
[03:49.160 -> 03:50.800] and took every opportunity,
[03:50.800 -> 03:52.760] I would sacrifice too much of the things I really love,
[03:52.760 -> 03:54.400] which is like family time,
[03:54.400 -> 03:55.720] you know, little ski trips with my mates
[03:55.720 -> 03:58.760] and, you know, Christmas time and holidays with my family.
[03:58.760 -> 04:01.240] I think it's easy to get caught up in success.
[04:01.240 -> 04:02.080] And when you start having it,
[04:02.080 -> 04:03.600] you think, is it going to last forever?
[04:03.600 -> 04:06.000] And I've got to be hot all the time. I need to be popping all the time, but, you know, you can't be like that. You can't be like that all the time Mae'n haws i'w gael yn y cyfansoddau, ac wrth ddechrau, rydych chi'n meddwl, a ydy'n mynd i ddurio ar y byd? Ac rhaid i mi fod yn hwnnw'n ffasaf, rhaid i mi fod yn ffasaf,
[04:06.000 -> 04:08.000] ond dydych chi ddim yn gallu bod fel hyn,
[04:08.000 -> 04:10.000] dydych chi ddim yn gallu bod fel hyn,
[04:10.000 -> 04:12.000] ac nid yn gobeithio rhai pethau i fod yn cael eu hafod.
[04:12.000 -> 04:14.000] Wel, rydw i wedi clywed, rydw i wedi clywed
[04:14.000 -> 04:16.000] chi'n siarad gyda Ffern ar un o'r gweithwyr,
[04:16.000 -> 04:18.000] ac rydych chi wedi defnyddio'r ffrasau rydw i'n teimlo'n ddangos
[04:18.000 -> 04:20.000] yn ddangos fel y dywedodd, nad yw popeth
[04:20.000 -> 04:22.000] yn y byd yn blwmio'n hollol amser.
[04:22.000 -> 04:24.000] Mae'n llawn fel bod pob peth,
[04:24.000 -> 04:26.640] os yw'r trwyf, os yw'r plant, maen nhw'n eithaf fel bod pob beth, oherwydd y bydd y blynyddoedd, oherwydd y plant,
[04:26.640 -> 04:32.800] maen nhw'n cael eu moment ac yna maen nhw'n mynd i'w gofio ac yn ymdrech. A dwi'n teimlo ei fod yn
[04:32.800 -> 04:39.520] ffras o ddiddorol i feddwl amdano. Felly, sut y gallwch chi, mewn ffordd, ymgyrchu'r ffaith
[04:39.520 -> 04:45.960] y gallwch chi gael gwaith ddau'n fawr yn nifer o ffyryrdd, i fod eich amser yn y ffyrdd.
[04:45.960 -> 04:48.120] Sut yw'r ffordd i'ch gilydd
[04:48.120 -> 04:49.480] i fynd allan a'ch gynhyrchu
[04:49.480 -> 04:50.480] a ddim teimlo y gafodd
[04:50.480 -> 04:53.280] rydych chi'n rhaid i chi ffocwsio pob cyfle?
[04:53.280 -> 04:54.040] Dweud wrthym.
[04:54.040 -> 04:55.360] Rwy'n ffactorio'n ffyrdd i'n blynyddoedd.
[04:55.360 -> 04:56.600] Os nad,
[04:56.600 -> 04:58.240] byddwn yn mynd allan
[04:58.240 -> 05:00.160] gyda'r ffrindiau i sgyrnio dyddiau,
[05:00.160 -> 05:01.680] fynd yn ôl i Coachella
[05:01.680 -> 05:02.880] i Coachella ym mis Mawrth.
[05:02.880 -> 05:04.240] Felly os nad fyddwn yn ffactorio'r cyfnod,
[05:04.240 -> 05:06.040] os nad fyddwn yn blwysu'r amser, byddwn yn gweithio. Oherwydd mae cyfansoddau, I'm going back to Coachella in April. So if I don't factor these, if I don't block that time out,
[05:06.040 -> 05:08.080] I will just work, because there's events,
[05:08.080 -> 05:11.000] like you said, do another podcast series,
[05:11.000 -> 05:12.800] do more live events, do another tour.
[05:12.800 -> 05:13.840] There's constantly things to do.
[05:13.840 -> 05:17.220] So I have to just say, I'm not gonna work in April.
[05:17.220 -> 05:18.560] I don't care, I'm just not gonna work,
[05:18.560 -> 05:21.360] because if I don't say that and block the diary out,
[05:21.360 -> 05:23.440] someone's gonna fill it up and it'll be work.
[05:23.440 -> 05:24.580] So how do you process it, though,
[05:24.580 -> 05:26.440] that there might be somebody coming on your heels
[05:26.440 -> 05:30.200] that you think it's the new body coach, the new guy that's going to be
[05:30.200 -> 05:34.560] involved? So how do you process that and not get caught up in that comparison or
[05:34.560 -> 05:38.000] competition? I'm sure there's definitely someone coming up who's gonna be just as
[05:38.000 -> 05:41.480] amazing and you know sharing amazing videos and inspiring but I still think
[05:41.480 -> 05:44.400] I've got this, I still think I've got time left you know I don't think I feel
[05:44.400 -> 05:45.860] obviously like with fitness,
[05:45.860 -> 05:47.420] you're going to have an expiry date as such,
[05:47.420 -> 05:49.120] but you know, when I look at Mr. Motivator,
[05:49.120 -> 05:50.760] still getting people fit at like 70 years old,
[05:50.760 -> 05:51.600] I think, why not?
[05:51.600 -> 05:53.580] Why can't I be an inspirational dad?
[05:53.580 -> 05:55.060] Why can't I be an inspirational granddad
[05:55.060 -> 05:56.020] and still be training and stuff?
[05:56.020 -> 05:59.420] So I'm not like in a massive rush to like, you know,
[05:59.420 -> 06:01.740] replace myself with someone younger and better than me.
[06:01.740 -> 06:02.580] Do you know what I mean?
[06:02.580 -> 06:25.320] I just keep doing what I do every day and that's it. It's just, I don'tawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, iawn, And when you go skiing with your friends in a couple of weeks, do you turn everything off?
[06:25.320 -> 06:27.760] Or are you thinking about the business
[06:27.760 -> 06:30.520] in the back of your mind and you're scribbling ideas down
[06:30.520 -> 06:32.680] even when you're in those down times?
[06:32.680 -> 06:33.680] No, I mean, I'm good now.
[06:33.680 -> 06:35.320] Because I've got my brother's the CEO,
[06:35.320 -> 06:37.440] and he's like, he's head of all the,
[06:37.440 -> 06:39.080] if you think that I was still on the social media,
[06:39.080 -> 06:40.360] the marketing, I do all the content,
[06:40.360 -> 06:42.320] but Nicky's kind of got into position now.
[06:42.320 -> 06:43.520] He's hired so many great people
[06:43.520 -> 06:47.340] that we can have these little breaks and knowing that everything's gonna run in the background.
[06:47.340 -> 06:52.580] So we've actually got about almost 40 staff that just run the Body Coach app because it's a subscription.
[06:52.580 -> 06:57.040] So there's new workouts. You know, there's Android, iOS. It's quite a, it's a beast, right?
[06:57.040 -> 07:00.140] A big, a big subscription app has a lot of people working behind it.
[07:00.140 -> 07:02.120] It's not just simply upload a video and that's it.
[07:02.120 -> 07:07.280] So, but it's, you know, you hire the right people, you give people the right trust and you give the people,
[07:07.280 -> 07:10.160] you create a culture that, you know, it can effectively,
[07:10.160 -> 07:12.160] you know, it can run itself,
[07:12.160 -> 07:14.440] even if we have a week or two off together.
[07:14.440 -> 07:15.280] Do you know what I mean?
[07:15.280 -> 07:17.440] So we're in a position, but it hasn't been like that for,
[07:17.440 -> 07:18.640] it's taken a while to get to that point,
[07:18.640 -> 07:19.840] if you know what I mean.
[07:21.240 -> 07:22.880] As always, thanks so much for joining us.
[07:22.880 -> 07:24.920] Don't forget, you can also get your hands on our book.
[07:24.920 -> 07:29.600] It's so much more than just conversations about the podcast. It is lessons to change
[07:29.600 -> 07:33.560] your life. So if you feel like you need a change and you're ready to embrace it, you're
[07:33.560 -> 07:39.240] ready to grow, you're ready to challenge yourself, get your hands on high performance lessons
[07:39.240 -> 07:46.480] from the best on becoming your best available from all good bookshops. And we'll see you for another episode very soon
[07:46.480 -> 07:48.400] of the High Performance Podcast.