Total Health: Scott Harrison of The Six Pack Revolution, On How We Can Optimize Our Mental, Physical, Emotional, & Spiritual Wellbeing
Exercise is, of course, also super important — you should be exercising into your 90s and beyond! If you want to be able to walk up the stairs, or on the beach, or go to the toilet without assistance, you must always exercise. As well as being good for your joints, posture, mental health, bone density, muscle tone, and overall strength, exercise is also a big investment into your future. Whenever you opt to go for a walk rather than sit on the sofa, you are adding to your pension pot of life.
Often when we refer to wellness, we assume that we are talking about physical wellbeing. But one can be physically very healthy but still be unwell, emotionally or mentally. What are the steps we can take to cultivate optimal wellness in all areas of our life; to develop Mental, Physical, Emotional, & Spiritual Wellbeing? As a part of our series about “How We Can Cultivate Our Mental, Physical, Emotional, & Spiritual Wellbeing”, we had the pleasure of interviewing Scott Harrison.
Scott Harrison is a celebrity personal trainer, Sunday Times bestseller, fitness and nutrition expert, life coach, motivational speaker, black belt karate instructor, chef, and the founder of acclaimed fitness programme The Six Pack Revolution. Scott has worked with numerous celebrities as a personal trainer, including Peter Andre, Rylan Clark and Sara Cox. He has inspired countless people through his appearances on national TV, radio, newspapers and podcasts.
Scott Harrison is releasing the follow-up to his Sunday Times bestseller, Eat Your Way to a Six Pack in December. DK RED is set to publish High-Protein Meals in Minutes: Eat Your Way to a Six Pack in paperback on December 19, ahead of the New Year. The book, which is available to pre-order now, will contain recipes for 75 high-protein meals, which can be prepared in 30 minutes or less.
Follow Scott & The Six Pack Revolution on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesixpackrevolution/
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive into the main focus of our interview, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your childhood backstory?
Like many, I’ve been through a lot in my life. My parents divorced when I was young, I suffered terrible bullying through school, and struggled with severe bulimia for over 30 years. As an adult, I also had to face my own divorce as the result of adultery, extreme debt, and losing my little boy late in a pregnancy.
However, as I look back, I realise that I wouldn’t change a thing about my past. However painful, these life lessons have given me so much in the way of experience and strength, which I can then use to help others in the best job in the world.
What or who inspired you to pursue your career? We’d love to hear the story.
To be honest, I came upon the career I have now accidentally! But I suppose it all really began one day when I was picking up my kids from school.
I remember looking around the playground at all the parents and noticing how overweight and unhealthy they all were… and realising that I had also become that man! This unexpected moment brought a simple feeling of enlightenment, and I vowed to myself ‘no more!’.
I remember it well. It was December 2016, and so, for my New Year’s resolution, I told myself that I would create a new me in every area of my life — starting with my body and mind. That’s when I decided to get a six pack.
I set to work simply running and going to the gym, and then began to study and research my nutrition. It took a bit of time, but after a while I figured out what worked and put together a plan from there.
The entire journey was blogged on Facebook, and while there were plenty of people who joined me, many others laughed and talked behind my back. I refused to take it to heart, and instead I worked harder and harder towards my goal. And, of course, I achieved my dream body, as did all the others that joined me! But what I wasn’t expecting were the changes I experienced in every other area of life, all of which came as a result of taking on the task and reaching the finish line.
Through this experience, I very quickly began to see that all the trials and tribulations I had gone through in my life could be used to positively impact the world. I realised that, by sharing my experiences, coaching others, and delivering an all-encompassing nutrition, exercise, personal development, mind-body-and-soul programme with a difference, I could help people out of their various holes.
What if we could support as many people as possible, and on a higher level than ever before? And what if we could do that by keeping things really simple and getting them results that would change their lives — not just physically, but mentally and emotionally as well?
From this ethos and approach, The Six Pack Revolution was born!
Through the programme, I have attracted so many amazing people, all of whom live by their passion to help others succeed. Now, I’m very pleased to say that everyone who works for The Six Pack Revolution has actually come from doing the programme themselves. So, everyone has the DNA of SPR in their blood, and they all fully understand the process that participants go through to achieve their results.
We currently have tens of thousands of participants in 90 countries, and are committed to our mission to keep transforming lives in every corner of the planet.
None of us can achieve success without some help along the way. Was there a particular person who you feel gave you the most help or encouragement to be who you are today? Can you share a story about that?
I’m so lucky to have the most supportive wife and family, as well as unconditionally supportive parents who instilled their incredible work ethic into me.
Then there’s my amazing team — I just couldn’t do it without them! And, again, because they’ve all come from the programme themselves, they see everything through the positive eyes of The Six Pack Revolution.
Can you share the funniest or most interesting mistake that occurred to you in the course of your career? What lesson or take away did you learn from that?
I’ve unfortunately never made a ‘funny’ mistake, but there are many things I have thrown myself into without success. Although I suppose that depends on how you define success! There is collateral beauty in every situation if you are open to finding it.
Even in the darkest of times, there are always lessons to be learned. That’s why you should always approach the obstacle course of life with a determination to take all lessons (both good and bad) as reasons to grow. When you do, you will always win in the end.
Is there a particular book that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?
The Secret by Rhonda Byrne, The Essence of Success by Earl Nightingale, and The Gap And The Gain by Dan Sullivan are all life-changing in my opinion.
They have taught me that life will never be a straight line to the top, and to be grateful for the lessons learned from all experiences. Thanks to these books, I’m able to identify when I’m focusing my energy on what I don’t want, so that I can then flip that script, refocus, and give energy to what I do want.
All three of these books really do change the way you think. They teach you how to look at life from a different perspective and focus on what you want. When you grasp that discipline, you will see the abundance of opportunities that have always been in front of you. All you need to do from there is grab them!
Can you share your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Why does that resonate with you so much?
If I may be so indulgent as to quote myself: ‘Use life’s obstacles as a reason to fight and not an excuse to fall.’
When we are dealt a blow or things aren’t going quite to plan, we as human beings have a tendency to go into self-destruct mode. It’s like when we hit the bottle to drown our sorrows or focus solely on the negative. All we’re doing is creating our own personal hellhole to wallow in.
This is the complete wrong move! To get drunk or indulge in your own misery will only serve to weaken us further.
When we take a hit, the last thing we should do is weaken our foundations even more. Instead, that’s the time to work at strengthening them, to come out swinging, dig deep, and find out what we’re really made of.
What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now? How do you think that might help people?
I’m working on a lot of new projects at the moment — it’s a very exciting time!
There’s a new menopause programme, new products, meal prep delivery, a new app, more in-person events, and of course my new book! High Protein Meals in Minutes is due out on December 19th and is available for preorder now.
As with everything else we do, these new projects are all about bringing more knowledge to the people, helping them achieve life-changing results, and giving them easier ways to stay on track.
OK, thank you for all of that. Let’s now shift to the core focus of our interview. In this interview series we’d like to discuss cultivating wellness habits in four areas of our lives: Mental wellness, Physical wellness, Emotional wellness, & Spiritual wellness. Let’s dive deeper into these together. Based on your research or experience, can you share with our readers three good habits that can lead to optimum mental wellness? Please share a story or example for each.
A key thing for positive habit-forming is to switch our focus from what we don’t want to what we do want. Have you heard of the reticular activating system? Put simply, this is a system that connects the conscious and subconscious parts of our brains. By tapping into it, we can more effectively set and achieve our goals. But, to do that, we must fuel our bodies correctly. After all, our mind is a part of our body too, and it doesn’t work properly when we poison it. If our mind isn’t well, then nothing is well.
Exercise is, of course, also super important — you should be exercising into your 90s and beyond! If you want to be able to walk up the stairs, or on the beach, or go to the toilet without assistance, you must always exercise. As well as being good for your joints, posture, mental health, bone density, muscle tone, and overall strength, exercise is also a big investment into your future. Whenever you opt to go for a walk rather than sit on the sofa, you are adding to your pension pot of life.
In other words, exercise is non-negotiable. So, my third and final tip for cultivating optimum wellness is to stay consistent, and this isn’t always easy. I recommend choosing the exercise that you enjoy the most, because you will be much less likely to procrastinate. You should also try committing to working out with someone else. Whether you employ a personal trainer or decide to train with a friend, making that commitment will make it much easier to stick at it.
Do you have a specific type of meditation practice or Yoga practice that you have found helpful? We’d love to hear about it.
Do something that doesn’t matter. We spend so much of our time doing things for a specific outcome. I can’t tell you how beneficial it can be to take time out from that to do something that has no real relevance.
Try getting your head into a game on a console and let that take you away from it all. All you’ll have to focus on is the game in front of you, which means absolutely nothing in the real world. And don’t worry — the world will do fine without you for a while.
Thank you for that. Can you share three good habits that can lead to optimum physical wellness? Please share a story or example for each.
This question brings me back to my earlier answer about the food we eat, and how it relates to exercise and our mental and spiritual wellbeing.
These three elements are all married to each other, which is why 90% of our physical and therefore mental and emotional results will come from nutrition. So, rather than three habits, I’d say wellbeing comes down to just one habit that impacts multiple different areas. For me, there are no truer words than you are what you eat.
When we feed our bodies in the right way — with simple plates of food balanced throughout the day with plenty of hydration — this will in turn help to balance the body, balance your hormones, and reduce inflammation. We must also remember that our mind is a part of our body too, and we feed it via the food and drink that we consume.
Here, then, the optimum word is ‘balance’.
Make sure you eat a balance of lean protein, carbohydrates, and healthy fats in every meal and snack you consume. You should also aim to balance your consumption throughout the day by eating little and often, to keep the metabolism nice and strong.
Ultimately, you can exercise as many times as you like in a week. But, if your diet is still poor, then inflammation will remain, the unhealthy visceral and subcutaneous fat will not dissipate, and chronic illness will eventually come.
Do you have any particular thoughts about healthy eating? We all know that it’s important to eat more vegetables, eat less sugar, etc. But while we know it intellectually, it’s often difficult to put it into practice and make it a part of our daily habits. In your opinion what are the main blockages that prevent us from taking the information that we all know, and integrating it into our lives?
I think too many people focus on calorie deficit alone, without understanding just how important it is to eat the correct balance of foods. You see, the body acts very differently depending on what you eat with what. So, we must make sure we have a balance of lean protein, carbohydrates and healthy fats throughout the day, along with plenty of hydration. That’s how the human body should be fed to help it perform at its best.
There’s also an ongoing infatuation with avoiding processed foods at the moment — it’s got everyone scared to death! But there are many processed foods that, as well as being healthier than non-processed foods, are also great tools to help you stay on plan, shift unhealthy visceral and subcutaneous fat, balance hormones, and fill you with energy, strength and vitality. It’s not all bad!
Can you share three good habits that can lead to optimum emotional wellness? Please share a story or example for each.
One of the most important disciplines you can master is to spend as much time as possible with people who support and uplift you. This really is essential for emotional wellbeing. It will help you to create a positive environment where you feel valued which, in turn, will boost your confidence and reduce stress.
Plus, these sorts of positive relationships work both ways by helping to create mutual growth. In other words, they motivate all parties to pursue their goals and maintain a healthy perspective on life. Not to mention that being around positive influences can also inspire greater self-belief, making life’s challenges easier to face.
It’s also important to understand that life doesn’t ever go in a straight line to the top. So, if you lose your cool when life heads in an unexpected direction, you’ll end up going in the wrong direction too. The truth is that life is supposed to be full of twists and turns! Once you accept that this is all part of your learning curve, you’ll be much better equipped to navigate through the hard stuff and (dare I say it?) even enjoy the obstacles.
Finally, break the habit of negatively labelling yourself, and always remember that nothing is set in stone. So, if something goes wrong, be grateful for life’s lesson, adapt, and keep moving forward. Don’t ever feel lack — there is enough on this planet for everyone, and you should always go out of your way to help others, even if you’re not in the position you want to be. You will see for yourself that life tends to flow much better when lived this way.
Do you have any particular thoughts about the power of smiling to improve emotional wellness? We’d love to hear it.
I actually speak about similar things on my programme! The mind and body are neurologically linked. That’s why just a few words from the right person can take so much weight off our shoulders, and why motivational speakers are so important.
Remember that smiling releases dopamine, which calms you down and brings many other benefits. And, of course, it works both ways, meaning you have the power to uplift whoever you’re smiling at, too.
We look so much more attractive when we look happier, and this in turn will encourage more of the right people to stay in your company. Trust me when I say that a life of smiling will bring so many more opportunities and create so much more positivity.
Finally, can you share three good habits that can lead to optimum spiritual wellness? Please share a story or example for each.
Start by being grateful and recognising what you have, instead of being ungrateful for what you want. This is a great practice, and simple too. There’s no need to write out hundreds of lists — just take a moment each day to think about the wonderful things you have in your life. And make sure to give a big smile as you think of each thing! Remember how powerful smiling can be?
You could also try thinking of the things that you might be grateful for in the future too. This can help to create the feeling that they are already a part of your life.
Another important habit is to help others wherever you can, even if it’s just being a soundboard for them to bounce off of. So many people take, take, take, believing that it will make them happy. If only they knew that the action of giving is what truly delivers the happiness we’re all looking for!
And, finally, I think one of the most important things all of us can do in this day and age is to take a digital detox and actually communicate with other people in real life. You could even try creating what my family calls ‘happy hour’, which is an hour in which no phones are allowed.
In our happy hour, we all sit together and do something simple. This could be playing a game of Uno, or taking it in turns to talk about something good that happened that day. It usually gets quite funny too — and laughter is always the best medicine!
Do you have any particular thoughts about how being “in nature” can help us to cultivate spiritual wellness?
Who doesn’t feel good around water? Whether it’s the beauty of a waterfall, the sound of the rain, or the ebb and flow of the sea, no one can say it isn’t calming. Even petrichor is one of those smells that I believe is loved by all.
I also know that the practice of ‘grounding’ has significant mental and physical health benefits. By reconnecting with the earth, people have experienced incredible benefits, including the reduction of inflammation and stress, improved sleep, and better healing.
Even something as simple as walking through a forest, around a lake, through the mountains, or along the beach can be therapy in itself.
Ok, we are nearly done. You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good for the greatest number of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.
What I really hope to do is reach as many people as possible across the world and teach them about how the food we eat affects our bodies and minds.
I’d also love to encourage everyone to stop focusing on all the things they wished did not exist. By shifting their focus, people can start to see that they are much stronger than they think. But this all has to start with the right nutrition and exercise.
Our physical, mental, and emotional health relies so much on what we consume and what we focus our minds on. That’s why a simple flip of the script can be the difference between living and just existing.
I champion this approach to life because I truly believe that it has the power to benefit everyone and change their lives forever. In fact, it’s what my programme is all about in a nutshell! It’s like I always say: nourishing your body will, by default, nutrify your mind. Together they will create the most powerful partnership, and you will realise that anything is possible.
We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US, whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we both tag them :-)
I would love to spend an hour with Dwayne Johnson. I truly admire the way he has cultivated not only such mental and physical strength, but also his compassion with it.
His work ethic is superior and his business acumen is also that of a learned and intelligent man. This abundance of ability must come from having a great deal of diversity in his life, because that is truly where we learn our most powerful lessons. I would be honoured to be in his company.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
Readers can read all about my work and programme over at https://thesixpackrevolution.com/. For updates, they can follow me on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok at @thesixpackrevolution, and on X using the handle @6packrevolution.
Thank you for these really excellent insights, and we greatly appreciate the time you spent with this. We wish you continued success.
