Photo: ABC / Maarten de Boer
“Fitness has been such a sanctuary for me,” the Peleton instructor, 35, tells PEOPLE to mark World Mental Health Day on October 10.
“It’s one of those places that you can be absolutely present with your body and present with your thoughts,” he adds. “And it allows me to really process things. As much as I hate running, I’ve really gotten into it. I love going on a 20-minute run on the Peloton app and processing s— or hearing inspirational things from my fellow colleagues. It really is a really great place to get in tune with yourself.”
The formerDancing with the Starscompetitor also recalls growing up homeless and how that contributed to his mental health struggles, which is why he partnered withCredit Karmato shine a light on the ways financial health and mental health are connected.
“So what I love about this partnership is it’s taking that idea that our financial health is important and if we don’t prioritize it, then it’s just going to become something that festers in our subconscious and creates a lot of anxiety or even sadness,” he continues. “We have to really tackle it so that we’re creating a sense of security for ourselves and we’re prioritizing that aspect of our mental health.”
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The fitness star says he wakes up early each day for journaling and meditation. On a weekly basis, he says hanging out with friends and staying social are things that “really nourish my soul and keep me in good mental health.”
“What I’ve learned about mental health is that it’s a very long journey. And as much as we feel that we need to be fixed, there’s nothing that needs to be fixed,” he tells PEOPLE. “We’re whole, we have everything that we need, but we have to have the strength to examine ourselves, to have conversations with ourselves that are uncomfortable, so that we can evolve and we can change and we can be a better version of ourselves.”
source: people.com
