‘Fitness and strength at any age is something to strive for’: Joe Wicks, 37, praises his incredibly fit mother Raquela, 58, as they work out together
Joe Wicks, 37, treated his mother Raquela to a workout in Venice Beach, California, on Thursday.
The fitness guru put his mom to the test before calling her an inspiration in a heartfelt Instagram post.
Raquela showed off her slim physique in a pink gym outfit as she got to work with strength training and stretches.
Joe, who previously spoke of his mother’s battle with OCD when he was a child, praised his “strong and healthy” mother as they posed for pictures together.
Like mother, like son: Joe Wicks, 37, treated his mother Raquela to a workout in Venice Beach, California, on Thursday
Workout buddies: The fitness guru put his mom to the test before calling her an inspiration in a heartfelt Instagram post
My mother will be 58 this year. This morning I took her to Golds Gym in Venice for a workout. This is inspiring to me,” he wrote.
“My mom struggled with her mental health and had serious eating disorders growing up, so it’s great to see a strong and healthy mom.”
‘Fitness and strength in everyone at any age is something to strive for and hopefully inspires us all❤️☺️ Proud of you mama.’
Referring to the young age Raquela was when she gave birth to Joe and his older brother Nikki, Joe continued, “You hit Nikki at 17 and me at 19.”
“I love that you got us so young and that you are here with me today to do this and stay strong. You are amazing and life is so good because you are here with me.’
Appearing in an Instagram video together after their intense workout, Raquela admitted that her son was a “hardcore” trainer, joking that she “wouldn’t be able to walk for three days” after the gym session.
Joe has said he was constantly anxious as a child while growing up with his heroin-addicted father and his mother, who suffered from severe OCD.
The fitness guru lifted the lid on his troubled upbringing in his 2022 documentary Joe Wicks: Facing My Childhood.
Looking fabulous: Raquela showed off her slim physique in a pink gym outfit as she got to work with strength training and stretches
Healthy: Joe, who previously spoke about his mom’s battle with OCD when he was a kid, praised his “strong and healthy” mom
Joe’s mother Raquela left him with his heroin addict father Gary when he was 12 years old to get help for her OCD.
Joe has praised his mother for being ‘brave’ enough to get the help she needed in the form of five months of therapy, while his older brother Nikki, 38, tried to protect him from life’s daily horrors with their addicted father.
The fitness guru explained that his mother was afraid he and his brothers would be taken in if she told people about her problems.
‘I was born in 1985 and she was only 19 when she had me. There was that fear of, “If I tell people about my eating disorder or that I’m struggling, they’ll be taken away.”
Joe recalls always being “aware” of his father’s addiction and explained how it affected him as a child: “Heroin addiction is really destructive.
Family: Joe’s mother Raquela left him with his heroin addict father Gary when he was 12 years old to get help for her OCD (pictured with his mother and brother Nikki)
“I was just anxious and scared and nervous all the time. I acted weird at school. I was disruptive, I was the bad boy because nobody stopped me and said, ‘What’s going on?’
Of his mom’s battle with OCD, Joe revealed, “She was scrubbing the house three or four times a day, I was vacuuming my bedroom twice a day.” I had to show her the rules. These things weren’t normal, but in my head I thought, “All moms do this.”… Every day was a fight.”
He continued, “I’ve been through a lot, nobody talked about it, nobody said, ‘What’s going on?’ So your mom and dad just didn’t want to talk about these things and that’s what the documentary is about – when can we bring the kids into the conversation?’