5 Ways To Well with Jonnie Peacock

Double Paralympic champion Jonnie Peacock lives and breathes performance but when it comes to wellbeing, it’s the simple, everyday things that keep him feeling his best. We caught up with him at this year's LitFest where we quizzed him on his wellbeing essentials.

 

 

Photo credit: Guernsey Literary Festival

1. Cold Showers.

First thing, I have a cold shower. That’s just how I start my day, every day. It’s mainly for the endorphins and the way it makes my body feel. There’s loads of science behind it, like the benefits of heat shock proteins which, despite the confusing name, are released quite quickly with a cold shower. I like doing that one basic thing to start my day. It wakes you up and it’s become such a normal part of my morning now, I don’t really think about it. 

 

2. Sleeping on a Grounding Sheet.

The earth has a natural current running through it, a tiny level of electrons, and our bodies respond really well to that. But we’ve disconnected ourselves from it with things like rubber shoes, and the second you touch the ground outside, whether that’s dirt,  grass or any surface that’s earthed, your body instantaneously connects and you can see massive changes. Your blood platelets separate and it reduces inflammation. Honestly, I encourage you to google it and you’ll see the evidence and the physical difference it can make. So every night I go to sleep on a grounding sheet. You don’t really feel it but it’s making a big difference to your body. It even lowers the amount of radiation from phones and devices to almost nothing. It’s one of the simplest things you can do, and I think it’s really worth it.

 

3. Smoothie with Mushroom Powders.

Every day I have a green smoothie with a mushroom blend in it. I really think mushrooms make a big difference. We’ve actually seen it in our dogs. We’ve got two little French Bulldogs and since we’ve been giving them mushrooms in their food, their energy is insane. Before, they’d be done for the day after one play. Now they have five minutes recovery and they’re ready to go again. We use a multi-mushroom blend from Antioxi with seven different types, including turkey tail and chaga. It’s made a massive difference to the dogs - and to me too!

 

4. Exercise Every Day.

I am an athlete so I can’t not mention exercise! It’s one of the best things you can do and it’s so good for your mental health. We often separate the brain from the body, but every thought and feeling you have is linked to chemical reactions in your brain. So when you move your body, you’re feeding your brain the good stuff and helping to balance those chemicals, like dopamine, endorphins, all the things that help you feel better.  So exercise is one of the easiest ways to kind of rebalance yourself, and it doesn't need to be hours of vigorous exercise. Even a few minutes of movement can change the way you feel. Sprinters like short bursts with rest (we're quite lazy in that way!) so personally I’d rather do a short, intense circuit at home than go for a jog. Do whatever works for you. Just move. 

 

5. A Good Night’s Sleep.

Sleep’s probably the most obvious thing you can do for your health and also the easiest. It affects everything; health, happiness, longevity, disease, metabolism. Pretty much everything is linked to good sleep. But we don’t prioritise it. I get it, there’s never enough hours in the day. But the truth is, if you sleep well, you actually have more time. You feel better, think clearer, get through tasks quicker. You can get a lot done in an hour if you’re feeling good. Groggy days are the worst - you don’t want to do anything. So yeah, sleep’s the big one.

 

Jonnie was here at Guernsey Literary Festival to speak abouth his book You Can Do Anything! aimed at building confidence and happiness in kids, which he wrote alongside the children's mental health expert, Laura Earnshaw.