KIIS FM radio host Woody Whitelaw talks health, fitness and stand-up comedy
One half of the Will & Woody KIIS radio drive team, Woody Whitelaw, has decided to challenge himself with something that scares the hell out of him.
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When it comes to the best jobs on radio, the breakfast roles are the absolute hardest, with
presenters asked to get up in the small hours of the morning, usually in absolute darkness. And then they are expected to somehow sound happy about it on the air.
Gigs hosting afternoon shows, on the other hand, must be highly sought after, if for no other reason than you can get out of bed at a reasonable hour.
But Woody Whitelaw isn’t having it. The co-host of the Will & Woody afternoon show could sleep in until his heart’s content, and yet every morning he’s up before the sun.
“I get up and get outside as soon as possible – I always try to beat the sun coming up as I
weirdly enjoy that little win over the sun,” he says.
“Then I tell my cat, Lenny, what I dreamed about the night before, and then I do some sort
of exercise – generally running, weights or a gravel ride in the bush – before heading in to the radio studio to start prep for the drive radio show.”
Early mornings are all about the battles for Woody. There’s the sun, of course, but before he beats that he’s got to take on the alarm clock.
“Don’t hit the snooze button,” he says.
“Our brains are pretty bloody good at convincing us that 10 more minutes sleep is integral to you getting through the day. This is a lie. A dirty, but incredibly enticing, lie.
“To use a biblical reference, it’s a bit like the apple that old mate Adam was offered by that snake.”
And the challenges will only continue for Woody this year. His big goal for 2022? He wants to scare himself silly.
“It’s a pretty broad goal, but I just want to get up on a stage again this year,” he says.
“Will [McMahon] and I started in sketch comedy, and I was doing a bit of stand-up in WA when I was living there, but it’s something I’ve let go of in the last few years.
“It’s something I love that also scares the hell out of me. Generally speaking, I think the things that scare you the most are the things that you should be doing.”
Woody Whitelaw on …
Mindfulness
“I do some deep breathing stuff. I bloody love doing stuff that focuses on the breath. And I also do a little thing I call ‘free writing’. This just means that I sit down for 10 minutes every day and write whatever I’m thinking.
“I find that when I write it out it helps me to understand and engage with how I’m feeling. Some pretty weird stuff pops out as well, which I find funny. This morning I just started writing about a tiger that was addicted to coffee. Still don’t know what this means for me.”
Exercise
“I think it’s important to exercise every day and generally eat pretty healthily. I find that if I physically feel good, then I mentally feel good too. I find that during a good old physical punish, the mind quietens.
“I find it a bit meditative in that way. And then afterwards you get that sweet, sweet endorphin rush. I find a cheeky endorphin rush with a side of coffee is the perfect cocktail for a solid mental state.”
Diet
“My Mum is a dietitian, so she’s always drilled healthy eating into me since I was a little tacker. I don’t drink as much as I used to. I don’t think there was a real inspiration for this other than my mates all growing up and not wanting to come drinking with me mid-week.”
Will & Woody are on air every weekday afternoon from 4pm-6pm on the KIIS Network or via the iHeartRadio app.
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Originally published as KIIS FM radio host Woody Whitelaw talks health, fitness and stand-up comedy
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