The Reach Out: Joe Walsh
The former congressman and host of the 'White Flag with Joe Walsh' podcast says that daily exercise and walking with his dogs is his "therapy."
Joe Walsh is a former U.S Congressman (R-Illinois) and radio host who has become a vocal critic of former president Donald Trump in recent years.
On his White Flag with Joe Walsh podcast, Walsh speaks with people who hold a range of political, cultural, and social perspectives. “These are passionate conversations with an aim to find compromise,” he says.
Walsh has contributed to the Washington Post, USA Today, and the Des Moines Register, and is the author of F*ck Silence: Calling Trump Out for the Cultish, Moronic, Authoritarian Con Man He Is.
Walsh appears frequently on MSNBC and CNN, and has been a guest on Real Time With Bill Maher.
I spoke with Joe Walsh about why regular exercise is such an essential part of his life.
Why is being active a priority for you?
If I couldn't exercise, or play with my dogs, I'd probably be dead. So I do exercise every day. I've got two dogs — we used to have four — so I spend a lot of time walking my dogs every day. That's my therapy.
I also do a regular workout, usually in the morning, and then I spend time the rest of the day and night walking the dogs.
Are you able to stick to a specific exercise routine?
In my life, “set in stone” is impossible. I might find out late the night before that I've got a TV hit the next morning, so it's never set in stone. I go day by day, but whenever possible, I try to fit in a great workout, and a really good run or walk with the dogs. I find that this really helps me to get through the day.
Have your fitness habits changed since the pandemic began?
I’ve found that my working out has intensified since the pandemic began because we have all been more alone. When I'm alone, I have a hard time sitting still, so I find that I've worked out more — and I've walked a lot more.
We moved to D.C. just recently, but when we lived in Illinois, we had a piece of land, so I would go out there and hit a lot of golf balls. I don't do that much anymore in D.C.
Is there something in particular that motivates you to keep active?
I’d like to stay alive. As funny as that may sound, I actually mean it. I live under a lot of stress — I get a lot of harassment and threats. I go to war on whatever platform I’m on, and it's exhausting. So if I didn't exercise, I don't know that I'd be able to deal with all of that.
You are already very motivated to exercise. Do you wear a fitness monitor?
You know, I read your interview with Brian Karem — great guy — and I'm kind of old school like him, so I've never used a monitor. I don't measure my heartbeat or anything like that. Maybe I should, but I'm old school — I just work out my own way.
Do you step away from news, politics, and social media when you work out?
When I'm outside, it's always just me, the dog, and nature. If I'm working out inside, I can't have any news on because I really need to escape. So it's either just me or maybe I'll put some music on.
Is there a sports or a fitness trend that you think you might like to try?
That's a great question! The problem is, because of who I am and how I live, every day I feel like I'm on a battlefield. I don’t take enough time to pull myself off the battlefield — even to read books or watch TV — so I couldn't even tell you what some of the latest exercise fads are because I'm just so myopic.
However, there is something that I’m going to start doing this month. My lovely, lovely bride, Helene, recently began chemotherapy for breast cancer, so what we're going to do — because we’re both very athletic — is take dancing lessons.
We're trying to find a fun, hip-hop kind of dancing. When I go to weddings now, I feel like an old fart when I’m dancing, so I’m really excited about these lessons.
How do you think we can get kids and teens to be more active?
Well, depending on how old they are, I might suggest yelling at their moms and dads, but maybe that’s because my own kids are in their late 20’s and early 30’s.
I see how sedentary so many kids are today — always on their phones — and I really think parents have to get off their asses and take the technology away from their kids every now and then. If they don't develop good exercise habits at an early age, it's a heck of a lot harder to start doing it when you're my age.
I’m looking forward to hearing about Joe Walsh’s first dance lesson — perhaps in a future podcast episode?
Thank you, @WalshFreedom
Please subscribe to read about how familiar faces keep active and fit (it’s free!).😀
If you enjoyed this interview, please share it on social media.
Please follow me on Twitter @The_Reach_Out
https://twitter.com/The_Reach_Out