“I’m planning on breaking a record in 2019,” Josh laughed cheekily. I’d asked him about his new year’s resolutions, and whilst most might reply with better posture, saving a little more money or dragging our bums to the gym, Josh’s seems a little more awe-inspiring to say the least. Enquiring as to which record he planned on breaking he fell a little silent: “Well, you’ll just have to wait and see won’t you!” Josh Patterson may well be known for dazzling audiences in Made in Chelsea, but it’s safe to say there are many more strings to his bow, including health and fitness, modelling and being a huge influence across social media platforms.
Recently however, the Adidas ambassador has surfaced as a huge fitness influence with the advent of his YouTube documentary series Limitless. “The project has been such an eye-opener. Working with such incredible people with powerful stories to tell has been rewarding. These are people that have been told they won’t walk again or they won’t recover from whatever it is that’s broken them and they’ve turned around and said no, we’re going to subvert that, we’re going to defy that, we’re going against science and to me that’s pretty special.” Limitless helps to showcase the power of the mind and change how we see ourselves, by illuminating other people’s often heart-wrenching stories. In this, Josh is able to meet a variety of people who’ve struggled in the face of adversity to become the best versions of themselves.
In his new Limitless series Josh has released episodes where he talks to Victoria Spence, a woman who nearly lost her life to anorexia and now lives her life as a personal trainer. Alongside Ben Tansley a close friend to Josh who was told he would never walk again following a motorbike accident. “Me knowing Ben, he will walk again. He’s such a determined man, which is why filming the second series of Limitless with him was incredibly insightful. Ben has such a strong mentality, and with his determination and training despite being in a wheelchair, well it shows we can always give it our best shot. People underestimate the power of the mind.”
Josh and Ben completed the Berlin marathon on the 16th of September in four hours and 15 minutes; something they discuss during the episode and Josh laughs about in awe. It’s apparent that Josh really has taken fitness under his wing, putting a large focus on the mental and physical health of others and, simultaneously, becoming somewhat of an inspiration (and a heartthrob) across Instagram, influencing his follower base with regular fitness tips and workout vids. I asked Josh what advice he would give to those starting out: “It’s all about living a balanced lifestyle. Often when I train I go for quick stints but I do that regularly, there’s no point in thinking you need to go and train for hours on end.”
But what does Josh do when he hits up the gym? “The most important workout right now follows an AMRAP concept (as many reps as possible). I like to superset three separate exercises and see how many reps can be performed in 15 minutes. By following two of three blocks of this, it fits into around a 45-minute workout.” I asked Josh if all this working out meant we could indulge in mince pies galore over the festive period… “Well, everyone’s bound to be letting loose a little more seeing as it’s Christmas, which is why this 45 minute workout is amazing what with it being short and sweet.”
Patterson himself is known to have suffered from depression and believes that fitness is a way in which to harness this. “Keep hydrated, keep an eye on your sugar intakes and set yourself realistic goals. It’s so important to invest in the mind as well as the body. With shorter workouts it means you’ll be a lot more focused because you have to remain efficient during this time.”
Fancy grabbing some fitness tips from Josh? Find him on insta! Or tune into Josh’s Limitless series which can be found here, with more episodes in the pipeline.