Harry Judd has spoken out about how exercise has helped him overcome mental health issues.
The McFly drummer admitted to Christine Lampard on today’s Lorraine that both and he and his wife Izzy have suffered with anxiety throughout their lives but keeping fit has helped them overcome it.
He said: “For me, the most important thing about exercise is how it makes you feel. It makes you feel better. It massively helped me when I was struggling with certain issues of mental health.”
Izzy agreed that she can see how much her husband benefits from getting out of the house for a workout, while she also found gentle exercise like yoga and swimming beneficial when she was struggling to have a baby.
The pair have previously been outspoken about their battle with infertility and how it affected their lives.
They conceived their first child Lola thanks to IVF and recently became parents again with the birth of their son Kit.
The couple admitted trying for a baby was a “dark time” for them, the stressful situation adding to the anxiety they were both already prone to.
Izzy said: “My anxiety was our biggest battle when trying to conceive. When it’s something you’ve always had, how do you just overcome it?”
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Harry agreed saying: “It is all consuming. People would tell Izzy, ‘just relax and you’ll get pregnant’ but it’s not that easy.”
The Strictly champion said exercise was a “key ingredient” in helping him get through this, and other difficult periods in his life.
He said: “Exercise is something you can control which I found really helpful when dealing with anxiety. It helped getting out of the house and releasing endorphins.”
Harry now wants to help other people gain the benefits of exercising in the same way so he has written a book about how to get fit.
The father-of-two said: “I felt compelled to tell my story and help people find ways to exercise that doesn’t take up a lot of time or money.
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“I did a lot of research for the book and one doctor told me exercise can be as effective as anti-depressants. I know it’s not a solution for everyone but for me it was a key ingredient in dealing with mental health issues.”
Aside from the mental benefits, Harry said people should also keep fit to enhance their physical health.
He demonstrated how people can easily exercise at home and even get their children involved.